Midnight
by Nafia7
Summary: The sequel to Sunset. Betrayed and imprisoned in the End, Sky must discover what Herobrine has planned for him, in order to escape with his life. Featuring SkyDoesMinecraft, Deadlox, BajanCanadian, Setosorcerer, TrueMU and Herobrine, among several OCs. Rated T for violence, potential for fluff, language and some darkish themes. Read and enjoy! (AU)
1. Jason (Sky)

**Here is the sequel to my story Sunset. You might want to read that first. Actually, scratch that. You better read that one. And reading the two oneshots that go with that might be smart. Yeah. Complicated backstory. Because of AWESOMENESS. Am I hyper? What would give you that impression?**

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><p>Jason… Jason was alive. Jason. Alive. "JASON! YOU'RE ALIVE!" Sky yelled.<p>

Jason snorted. "Really? I hadn't noticed."

"And as sarcastic as ever," Sky grinned.

"Jason! Jason's alive?" Mitch asked, swinging his head up to stare at Sky and Jason's cell.

"Look at me! I'm a celebrity!" Jason shouted. He began to strike increasingly ridiculous poses, making Mitch collapse onto the ground, laughing in relief.

"Jason?" a small voice called. Ty. Sky turned his head to see that Mitch and Ty were in a separate cell, just across the hall. Ty was slumped on the floor, not looking in any particular direction. That was weird. Sky would have expected Ty to be crazily excited.

"Ty!" Jason yelled, running over to the bars and almost stepping on Sky in his haste. Now that he had moved, Sky could see that he was no longer wearing his standard space suit and was just in a shirt and jeans. "I'm quite disappointed that you're here, as that means you've joined me in prison, but I'm very glad to see you! Now we can harass the guards together! We can go back to torturing Sky! This is going to be awesome!"

"Umm, hate to burst your bubble, but we're imprisoned in the End," Mitch muttered.

Jason waved an airy, regal hand. "Pfft. Small detail."

Ty gave a weak, choked laugh that might have been a sob. "I missed you so much," he finally whispered. "Damn it, Jason, I missed you so. Freaking. Much."

"Aww, dude, I missed you too. It drove me crazy knowing you were alive and thinking I was dead. I'd hug you if I could reach you," Jason said.

"Jason, I… I'm so glad you're alive." Tears had started to drip off of Ty's strangely blank face.

"Me too. That I'm alive, I mean." Jason's grin was huge.

"It's good to be alive," Sky declared.

"Yeah," Ty said softly. Again, that was weird. Ty should be shouting, jumping around like a maniac or an ocelot on caffeine. Ty should be smiling. Ty should be acting in really any way but this strange, subdued quiet.

Jason seemed to notice, and grew a bit quieter. "Ty, you didn't… you know?" Sky remembered Ty saying something about Jason having known about the cutting.

Ty blinked, his face falling. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I just couldn't… couldn't deal."

Jason's smile drops. "Dude…"

"Jason, it's nothing. Don't be sad," Ty ordered, sounding more confident than he'd been a few moments earlier. "Sky- Sky helped me out a bit."

Jason relaxed infinitesimally. "That's… good. So you know?" he asked, directing the last part to Sky.

"Yeah." Sky was glad that he'd found Ty, caught him before he was able to hurt himself worse.

"What is going on that I don't understand?" Mitch asked.

"Nothing," everyone said at once, instantly confirming that something was, indeed, going on.

"It just makes me feel like shit to think that you did that because… because of me. It's my fault," Jason sighed sadly.

"Uh-uh. You're not allowed to think that, Jase," Ty announced. "The thought police are here. So don't think that. Capisce?"

"Capisce," Jason said after a moment. "But I still feel awful."

"Dude, you aren't allowed to feel awful. If anyone gets to wade in self-pity, it's Ty," Mitch decided. What?

Jason furrowed his eyebrows at the Canadian. "What do you mean?"

Mitch sighed. "Are you going to tell them?" he asked, elbowing Ty.

"You can," Ty said, head slumping down again. He still hadn't looked at anyone.

"Ty, dude, just get it over with," Mitch said gently. "You need to come to terms with it." Sky wasn't used to seeing this side of Mitch. He was usually far more intractable.

"I don't want to."

"Ty, what's up?" Jason asked tentatively.

Ty shook his head, and Sky got a good look at his eyes. Oh, Notch. The pupil had disappeared under a thick smudge of the crimson of his irises. The whites of his eyes were angry and inflamed.

"He's blind," Mitch said quietly. "Ember's a traitor. She lit Ty on fire or something."

Jason gaped. "B-blind? I knew she was planning to capture you, but… blind?"

"Blind?" Sky asked. Oh no.

"Y-yeah," Ty stuttered. This explained why he wasn't looking at anyone. "My eyes… I can't see anything." He seemed absolutely miserable.

Everyone who could see looked at Jason. He was generally the go-to guy for lightening any situation, and he didn't fail. He took a deep breath, and mostly managed to suppress the tremor in his voice. "That sucks. Because you won't be able to check out the really, really hot guard."

"I heard that!" came a voice from down the hallway. A tall girl walked up to them, her long, platinum blonde hair falling down to almost past her denim shorts. Her blue tank top had little white flecks across it that made her look as though she was in her own private snowstorm, the stormy blue of her eyes adding to the effect. "Thanks, by the way," she said, raising a pale eyebrow at Jason. "But you aren't permitted to talk."

"Come on, Aradyn," he pleaded.

She grinned. "Right now, I'm Rogue. Confusing?" Oh. So she was one of the hybrids, like Ember and Zariah. Confusing.

"Yes," Jason groaned. "It's your eyes that change, isn't it?"

"Yep."

"So Rogue, please? I haven't seen my friends in forever. We need to talk. I'm begging you, oh wise and noble prison guard who likes torturing poor, innocent, friendless teenage boys."

Rogue rolled her eyes. "I should probably punish you for insubordination."

"Oh, don't do that!" Jason yelped, jumping back and clutching his heart.

"Fine, you histrionic clown. But I don't know if I can break the rules for you."

Jason gave her puppy dog eyes. "Please? Pretty please with a dead fish on top, which I know you'd enjoy more than the stereotypical cherry?"

"That's Aradyn. I like cherries just fine," she laughed, and then closed her eyes for a moment. When Rogue reopened them, they were solid blue, the color of the ocean under a snowstorm.

Her voice was slightly huskier as she spoke. "If we can't hear you, you aren't talking. We'll be at the end of the hallway. Fair enough?"

"Yeah, that's great! Thanks, Aradyn," Jason said. "And Rogue."

She/they nodded quietly at him, before disappearing down the hall. Jason sighed as he sat down beside Sky, his eyes, apparently subconsciously, tracing her steps as she walked away down the hall.

Once Aradyn/Rogue was out of earshot, Sky lowered his voice to a whisper. "Nice smooth-talk, Jason."

"It was nothing. They're the nicest of the two guards. Or maybe least aggressive would be a better term."

"Still…"

"Rose and Crimson, the other guard, would have clawed me if I said she was hot. Which she is, by the way."

Sky became aware of the many shallow welts that crisscrossed Jason, raised lashes that were visible on his neck, face, and arms. There were other injuries too, some clearly left by the pigmen, and others more recently and carefully inflicted. Jason noticed Sky looking and self-consciously shifted the collar of his shirt a bit, hiding some of the marks.

"Did the guards do that?" Sky asked quietly.

Jason sighed. "No. At least, not much of it."

"Who did?"

Jason closed his eyes for a moment. "Herobrine, and… and Seto. They've been torturing me, Sky. It hurts so freaking much. And I thought Seto was my friend."

Sky felt sick. Jason was being tortured. And Seto, the person that they'd tried to rescue, was the one doing it. "I thought he was here, being tortured or something."

"Herobrine _did_ torture him, and somehow convinced Seto to join him, I guess."

"'Coerced' is the more accurate term," said a tired, world-weary voice. Sky twisted his head and caught sight of a tall purple-cloaked figure, with a pale, thin face and sad brown eyes.

Seto.

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><p><strong>So... let it begin. Seto is evil! Yay! Or is that bad? Review please, and thanks for reading! It may be a double update day, because I'm just that nice.<strong>


	2. Escape (Ty)

"Seto?" Ty called. He couldn't see anything at all, and it scared him. "What are you doing here?"

"He's probably here to torture us. Like he's been doing," Jason said, hate in his voice. "What did Herobrine promise you?"

"What?" Ty and Mitch asked at once. They hadn't heard what Jason had just been explaining to Sky.

Seto's soft sigh echoed through the quiet hallway. Ty heard a soft swishing noise and guessed that the sorcerer must have sat down.

"I'm waiting," Jason hissed. Ty had never heard him sound so angry.

"You wouldn't understand," Seto muttered. "You don't know what it was like."

Jason snarled. "I think you've been helping me get a pretty damn good idea."

"Seto, man, what's going on?" Mitch asked nervously.

Ty couldn't see Seto's face, but he imagined him smile. "Hello, Mitch. Ember said she'd brought you here. She said that you were positively delighted to see me. It's good to see you too." The quiet of his tone was more dangerous than if he'd shouted. Mitch gulped.

"It's quite a pity that Herobrine ordered me to leave you alive. I'd like to kill you for the way you treated me, I really would," Seto continued. "He's taught me some brilliant methods of executing someone you hate. All of them are very painful, and nicely gory, too." He laughed, not a cackle, but a real, happy little laugh.

"Seto, you're… you've gone crazy," Sky said disbelievingly.

"Who knows what might have happened to my mind while Herobrine tortured me? I know _I _don't. If I am crazy, I'm enjoying every minute of it." There was a quiet shuffling sound as Seto rose to his feet. The key ring jingled in his hand as he popped it into the lock of Ty's cell, unlocking the door. "Come with me, Mitch," he ordered, voice filled with menace.

"Seto, what are you doing?" Ty asked. "This isn't you." Seto had never acted like this before. He and Mitch may not have gotten along, but… Seto had never wanted Mitch dead. As far as he knew.

"Ty, look at me," he said softly.

"I can't." Seto was a traitor. Seto was on Herobrine's side. Just like Ember. Who next? Jason? Sky? Ty felt a knot of nervousness tie itself into his stomach. Would he be the next one betray his friends? He'd never do that… right?

"Do I really disgust you that much?" Seto asked, with a weak attempt at humor. There was obvious hurt in his voice, though.

"Seto, leave him alone. He means he literally can't," Jason growled. "Now go away."

Seto wheeled around. "Ty… can't?"

"Don't pretend you care," Jason sniffed. "Because you don't. You're Herobrine's bully now, aren't you?"

"Sky," Seto pleaded, "what happened to Ty?"

Sky said nothing, and Ty felt a pang of pity for Seto. He'd done, Ty was sure, what he thought was the best thing to do. Seto must have been tortured, he must be confused. But it was only a small stab of sympathy. The rest of him was sick with revulsion at his old friend's actions. Torturing Jason? That was unthinkable.

Ty leaned back until his hand found Mitch's leg. Mitch was hyperventilating in fear, and jumped. Seto was still trying to get Sky to explain what had happened. This might be their only chance to escape. "Mitch?" he whispered.

"Ty," Mitch replied almost silently. "I'm right here."

"The door's still open, right?"

"Oh… Oh yeah!" Mitch whisper-yelled. "I'm going to try to tackle Seto. If I can keep him from calling for help, we have a chance." Ty nodded, and he heard as Mitch positioned himself for the attack. "Three, two,… one!"

There was a thump as Mitch collided with Seto. Sounds of wrestling came up from the floor, but eventually one side's struggles must have subsided, because the scuffling stopped after a few moments. There was a clanking noise as a set of keys was collected.

"Damn, dude," Sky whistled appreciatively. Yes. Mitch must have succeeded.

"What can I say? I'm pretty awesome."

"Fair enough. Let us out of here, you freaking badass!" Jason laughed.

The lock made a clicking sound as it released. Footsteps crossed the hallway, and Ty flinched as a pair of hands caught his shoulders. "Who-," he started to ask.

"Shh," Jason said. "I'll help you get out of here. Just move where I lead you. It's like one of those dumb trust exercises that they made us do in school, remember?"

Ty smiled despite himself. He and Jason had always buddied up for those games, which had led to some pretty spectacular pranks pulled on each other. "Please tell me you aren't going to make me walk into a Nether Portal again," he begged. Why their school had had a Nether Portal was one of the greatest mysteries of life. How Ty had escaped alive and forgiven Jason was the other.

"Eh…"

"You're evil, you know that?"

"It's my specialty," Jason grinned, helping Ty climb to his feet and wrapped his arms around the shorter boy's waist. "There's a small step down to the hall floor- there." He caught Ty as he slipped over the drop.

"Thanks," Ty whispered, leaning back against Jason. He couldn't see anything, didn't know where anything or anyone else was. "Jason… don't let go of me, okay? Because…" He didn't have to finish. He knew that if Jason chose to move away he'd be completely helpless.

"Of course, Ty. Just relax. If it makes you feel better, there aren't any Nether Portals anywhere close."

"Alright, I got Sky loose. You know this place better than I do, Jason. What's the plan?" Mitch asked.

"Hmm… To the right are the, um, torture rooms, and there aren't any exits that way. If we go left, which is the way to the exit, we have to deal with Aradyn."

"Sounds like we're heading left. Jason, you can take care of Ty, right?" Sky asked, automatically assuming his generally accepted position as leader.

"Yeah. I've got him," Jason said. "So… left. But we should search Seto for anything useful."

"Good plan," Mitch and Sky agreed. Ty felt a flicker of panic as Jason slackened his hold around him for a moment.

"It's okay," he soothed gently. "What did we find?"

"A few potions. I don't know what they do, so that won't be super useful. He also has a sword," Mitch reported.

"'Kay. How about you take that, Mitch?" Sky suggested.

"Why not you? You're wicked with a sword." Ty had been about to ask the same thing.

Sky sighed. "Because… I think that if I had to make the choice, I wouldn't be able to kill… to kill Ember."

"And the sword isn't butter. And if it isn't butter, it's useless, as we all know," Jason reminded everyone.

Ty could almost hear Sky rolling his eyes. "That too. Let's go."

Jason steered Ty through the hall, moving silently. Ty stumbled every few steps, slipping on the smooth stone only to have his fall broken by Jason. He hated feeling so helpless, not being able to know what was going on.

"Where do you think you're going?" Rogue called, and Jason froze.

"Umm… Sky, what do we do?"

"Ember!" Rogue shouted. There was a ripping noise, and a gust of wind filled the passageway.

"Shit," Sky muttered. What was going on? Jason started to back away, still holding onto Ty's arm, something that Ty was immensely grateful for.

Rogue growled. "I won't hurt you if you freeze now and drop the sword."

"Rogue, please. Let us go," Jason appealed.

"Jase, you know I can't do that. We can't help you. Now get your friend to drop the sword. We don't give second chances." Her pronoun changed partway through her warning. It was strange, Ty thought, for one person to refer to themselves as 'we.' But that must be part of being one of the hybrids. He'd never want to be like that.

Jason sighed in defeat. "Mitch, drop it."

"No freaking way! We can't do that. Jason, she's tricking you."

The corridor became noticeably colder. "Mitch, I said _drop the sword_. Sky, tell him." Jason's voice held a frantic note.

"What's she going to do?"

"You're going to find out in a moment," Rogue hissed. There was a loud flurry of footsteps as someone came running into the hallway.

"Mitch, drop the sword," Ember ordered. Ty flinched at the sound of her rough, angry voice.

"I don't listen to dogs," Mitch snarled.

He yelped suddenly, and Ember sounded much closer as she spat out, "I'm a dragon, actually. I could eat you and enjoy it. Don't forget that, _worm_." There was a clattering noise as the sword hit the floor, followed by a squeak of pain as Ember slapped Mitch, hard. Jason exhaled sharply in anger.

"What should I do with them, Em?" asked Rogue. "Leave them for Herobrine?"

"That'd be fine. Escort them back to their cells. Except…" Ty could feel Ember's eyes boring into him. "I want to talk to Ty."

"Ty?"

"Headphone boy."

"Okay," Rogue said, sounding as though that made everything make sense.

"No!" Sky shouted. There was a thud as he tried to lunge forward and was intercepted by something, Rogue probably. "You can't hurt Ty!"

"I said talk," Ember said quietly. "I won't hurt him, Sky."

"Ember, I swear that I will kill you if you hurt Ty," Jason vowed.

"You won't have to. I promise that I have no intentions of harming Ty."

"You're a liar."

"Enough," Rogue declared. "You need to get moving."

Ty felt as Jason was pulled away from him, and stood there, swaying in a moment of extreme disorientation. He didn't know where anything was. He didn't know where anyone was. "Jason?" he whispered shakily.

A strong, cool hand rested on his arm, holding him upright. It was Ember. The traitor.

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><p><strong>What did I say? Two chapters! I'm awesome and you know it. Also, I'm working on becoming a beta reader. PM me if that might be helpful. I may be changing my update schedule to every other day (for Sunset I was updating daily). That's all the news. Don't let the bunnies get you!<strong>


	3. Coward (Ember)

Ember steadied Ty, who was shaking in the center of the hallway. Rogue had shepherded the others back down the hall at sword point, returning the escapees to their cells. Hmm. They'd probably need to be separated.

She'd kept Ty with her rather than sending him back to his cell, and into the full face of Herobrine's wrath. The dark god would not be pleased with the would-be escapees, and the tortures would no doubt be excruciating. Ember had been afraid that Herobrine would choose to make a demonstration out of Ty, because his blindness would make him expendable. A blind person would be much less useful to Herobrine's plans, and he might choose to kill Ty.

"What do you want?" Ty asked, pulling her out of her thoughts. He seemed to be unsure as of whether to run away from Ember or not.

"Just calm down. I'm trying to help you," she assured him. "Follow me. There's a staircase here…"

She guided him up the stairs, catching him every time he stumbled. A stab of pity went through her heart as she looked at his miserable face. His usually bright crimson eyes were dull and smudged-seeming. "Why, Ember?"

"Why what?"

He sighed and slumped to the ground. "You know what why. Why betray us? Why work for Herobrine? Why make me blind? Why is Jason alive? Why are we alive, and what do you want? Give me some answers."

Ember felt the familiar purple haze cloud her vision, and she found herself shouting at Ty. **"I damn well don't have to give you answers!" **Her hand snaked out and slapped Ty, hard. He winced, his expression hardening into anger.

"You can't face what you did, is that it? Ember, you may be a liar and a traitor, but I'd never have pegged you as a coward."

**"Shut up," **Ember felt herself snarl. She struck Ty again, harder. The stupid human deserved it. He should suffer. She would make him suffer.

"No, I won't. I don't think you're going to kill me, and there's nothing you can do that will make me stop. You're a traitor. You're a coward." His voice grew stronger as he spoke, more conviction entering his tone.

**"I will hurt you. I will torture you," **she growled. Stupid human. She should have killed him while she had the chance. She reached for a knife. Wait, what? These weren't her thoughts. What was she doing?

_Zariah._

The only answer was a hate filled snarl. Ember snarled back. "Out of my head," she ordered aloud.

**_Never._**

"I said out!" she screamed. "Out! Get out of my head!" Slowly, the purple haze lifted, and she took a deep breath, a free breath. Ember felt as though a huge weight had just been removed, and it had never felt so good to be herself.

"So what are you going to do to me? Punish me?" Ty asked, disgust dripping from his words. "Maybe slap me around a bit? Or cut out my tongue?"

"I don't plan on doing any of those things. I- I'm sorry for hitting you."

"Oh, yeah?" he said disbelievingly.

"That was Zariah. She made me do that." Ty glared at the floor, not saying anything. "I'm sorry," Ember repeated.

"_I'm_ not sorry for what I said," Ty finally said.

"I didn't ask you to be." She hadn't expected him to take his words back.

He was silent for a while. "You are a traitor, you know. I thought you were my friend. I thought I could trust you."

"I know."

"You lied to us all."

"Yeah."

"So, going back to before you attacked me, why?"

"I don't want to…" she said, voice trailing off.

"Coward."

"Stop calling me that," Ember hissed. This time it wasn't Zariah that filled her tone with rage.

"_Coward_."

"Stop it," she warned.

"COWARD! You can't face what you did, what you are."

"I said stop!" Ember growled. Most people knew not to antagonize her like this.

"And I didn't listen!" Ty shouted. "You're a coward!"

His words shouldn't have this much power. He shouldn't be able to make her feel like this. But Ty's words made her feel vile, feel repulsed by herself. She fought against the rising purple that threatened to crowd out her vision yet again. She knew that if Zariah came back into her head, back into control, Ty would quite possibly die. At the moment, though, she wasn't entirely opposed to that.

"Ty, if you know what's good for you, you'll stop calling me that." The purple mist had almost taken over, and she clenched her fists, feeling her slowly lengthening nails dig into her palms. The pain was good. It kept her in control.

"Coward!" he taunted, and Ember broke.

**"You will be silent!" **she shouted, swiping her now fully formed claws across his face. Blood dripped down out of the parallel gashes that now crossed his cheekbone.

"I'm your conscience. I'm not going to be quiet."

**"Shut up!"**

"Co-

**"Shut up!" **she howled. Her claws flashed out and ripped open his shoulder.

"-w-

**"SHUT UP!"**

"ard!"

Kill him. Kill him. Kill him.

_No, Zariah! _But a part of her wanted to. It would be easy.

**_Yes._**

"No!" she cried, her voice cracking. "No, no, no!"

**"Yes!" **Zariah crowed, using Ember's mouth.

"No!"

There was a sudden flurry of footsteps, and Aradyn appeared beside Ember. "Em, Em, Em, hold on!"

**"I'm going to kill you all!" **Ember felt her form begin to shift. **"I'll destroy you all! You will burn!"**

"Ember, relax. This isn't you. Just calm down," Aradyn murmured, managing to keep calm. "This is Zariah. She's making you do this. Step outside."

**"I'll kill you all!"** Ember's wings had ripped out of her back with a painful tearing sensation. Her tail lashed out, arcing through the air. They should die. They would die. Everyone would die, and she would kill them. She would kill them, and drink their blood, and eat their flesh. Yes. Yes…

"Can we knock her out?" Ty asked. Just let them try. Let them try, and let them _die_.

"Stay out of this, prisoner," Aradyn snarled. Her own wings had come out, along with her tail. "Ember, stay calm. Fight Zariah. Keep her out."

**"Die!" **Ember yowled, leaping for Aradyn. The other girl jumped out of the way with a curse, moving for the door that led out of the prison. She could try to run, but she'd never escape. Ember would burn her. Burn her to ash. Yes…

Aradyn darted around the door, ducking out of sight as Ember lunged again. Stupid girl. _There's no escape from me… from her… from us._ Ember stepped around the door and into the chill of the outside air. She felt her eyes narrow and nostrils flare as she searched for Aradyn, for her prey. Ty was completely forgotten in her hunt.

Something felt wrong… **"Where are you? Come out so that I can kill you!"**

A gust of wind rushed over her skin, and Ember turned. A pale blue dragon loomed up in front of her, white and navy markings swirling across her scales. "Ember. Calm down," she hissed.

**"Die!"** Ember screeched, feeling her dragon form start to rip out of her human body.

"Gee, aren't you friendly." The dragon reached out and scooped Ember up in her forepaws, leaping into the air.

**"Let me go!" **Ember struggled, kicking at the dragon, Aradyn.

"I'm not going to release you, Zariah. This isn't Ember anymore." Aradyn's dark blue wings beat steadily as she flew off, still carrying the screaming girl.

**"I will kill you!"**

"You say that every time. Ember, I know you're in there. Fight Zariah. Please."

Dimly, Ember knew that she wasn't acting right. But the majority of her brain was consumed with thoughts of rage, and death, and a burning need to escape. She couldn't think straight anymore, and grew ever more violent as Aradyn flew on. The stupid girl. She would pay. Ember would destroy them all. It would feel amazing, the way their blood would splash onto the ground, and their screams would be music.

Aradyn settled into a dive, falling towards a somehow familiar gray cube. Ember felt an unnamed fear settle over her, and she howled, clawing at Aradyn's paws. **"Let me go! I will make you pay! I will—aaaaaaa**aaahhhh!"

The last part was because Aradyn had released her, dropping her towards the gray cube. Ember's last thought as she collided with the ground was of bitter disappointment.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey, all! Nafia here, with a new chapter! Ember's perspective this time... I have a lot of fun writing for her, but it takes a while to get the personality right, what with her running the insanesane gamut and crossing the good/evil spectrum from time to time. Zariah is too much fun to write... just too much fun. Is it wrong that I like writing the insane villains, like Z, Seto, and Herobrine best? No? Good.**

**Luckily, it seems that I'll get more of a chance to do that soon. The poll has ended, and I'm going to be writing some Herobrine horror fics soon. Yay!**

**Peace out, and hunt those 1.8 Minecraft bunnies for me!**


	4. Friends (Ember)

Ember woke up on her bed, feeling exhausted. What had happened? Where was she? What—

Oh. Zariah. Zariah had happened.

_Damn it, Z. What did you do?_

**_I simply manipulated your emotions and made you really, really angry. Also, I temporarily disabled the rational thinking portions of your brain. It would have worked brilliantly, and we probably would have killed Ty, if your bitch friend Aradyn hadn't come to his rescue._** Zariah's unhappiness was easy to feel through their link.

_Aradyn isn't a bitch. And how did you get into my head and do that?_

**_That was easy. The more adrenalin in your blood, the easier it is for me to take over. And she _****_is_****_ a bitch._**

_Lay off, Zariah._

**_Nah._**

The door opened, and Aradyn stepped in. "Hey. Back to you again?"

"Yeah." Ember's head was still spinning from her talk with Zariah. It was the adrenalin? So really, she just had to keep from getting scared or into fights, or really upset at all. Yep. That was going to work. "Did I… you know, go crazy and try to kill you?"

Aradyn hesitated just long enough for Ember to know that she was lying when she said, "No."

"Sorry."

"You know me too well, Em. And it's not like you chose to have Zariah do that to you."

Ember nodded. "So, how'd you get Z out?"

"I put you in the bedrock cage until you calmed down. That took a while. You've been sleeping for about forty-eight hours." Ember almost corrected Aradyn to two days, but shut her mouth. Aradyn wouldn't know about days. Ember hadn't really understood day and night herself until going to the Overworld anyway.

"Thanks."

"No problem, sista." That's what they always called each other. Aradyn, Rose, Wisp, and Ember… they were like siblings and best friends rolled into one package.

"Did I… hurt anyone?"

Aradyn sighed. "Yeah. You clawed up one of the prisoners pretty badly, and were screaming something about how you were going to kill us all."

"Shit. Was it Ty that I attacked?"

"Headphones? Pretty damn cute?"

"I never thought about the cuteness, but yeah, that's Ty."

"Then it was Ty. I brought him here, just because I would bet my life that Herobrine would rough him up a bit." She glanced sidelong at Ember. "You won't report me, right?"

"Sistas, remember? I took him out of there in the first place because I thought Herobrine'd probably kill him. Thanks for bringing Ty," Ember said, feeling a mingled sensation of relief and nausea rise in her chest. Relief that Ty was safe, even after all that had happened, and nausea that she'd tried to kill him. "I'm sorry," she muttered again.

"Em, you didn't kill anyone, and it wasn't you, anyway."

"Is there anything I could do to pay you back for getting my personal idiot back under control?"

Zariah growled.

"Ember. It's fine. In fact, I should probably pay _you_ back."

Ember blinked. She didn't remember anything from her little 'adventure.' "What did I do to deserve that? Besides try to kill everyone?"

"I… I kind of broke your wing," Aradyn said, going slightly pale. She was scared, scared of what Ember might do. A broken wing meant days of boredom and pain. It wasn't fun.

Yet, something about this was ridiculous to Ember. Maybe it shouldn't have been funny. But somehow, it was. Ember laughed, grinning at Ara's dumbfounded expression. "I tried to break your face. Trust me; you were acting in self defense." She sobered quickly, though. "Aradyn, I owe you one. I'd never have forgiven myself if I'd… if I'd…" _If I'd killed someone._

Ember rolled to her feet, hissing sharply as pain throbbed through her injured wing. It hurt a lot, but more painful was knowing that she wouldn't be able to fly for at least a week. She sighed, and moved into her human form. Ember could still feel the ghost of the pain, but at least this way, she wouldn't run the risk of banging her wing into something while it healed.

**_You just had to get yourself beat up._**

_It's your own fault, Zariah._

**_You're a klutzy bitch._**

_You're a dragon with who tried to kill everyone that you could see and ended being imprisoned in a bedrock box._

**_That has no impact on your un-graceful fall._**

_You're so clever with puns. And I wouldn't have been falling in the first place if you hadn't been an idiot._

**_Shut up._**

_It's my head, so you can clear out, actually._

There was a sound similar to that of an avalanche as two people thundered into the room. "Em!" Wispice shouted, pulling Ember's attention out of her conversation. The smaller girl hugged her, her brown eyes sparkling. "So, you went psycho again?" she asked.

"Yep. Z's a pain in the arse, isn't she?" Rose said. She popped her gum with a loud _smack_. For unknown reasons, Crimson, Rosewing's human side, was addicted to gum.

"Well phrased," Ember smiled. "What are you people doing up here?"

Wisp glanced at Rose for help. Aradyn smirked, clearing knowing something that Ember didn't. Rose, for once, was speechless, staring at her feet and blushing. Wispice finally cleared her throat. "Umm…"

Ember grinned. It definitely had something to do with boys, based on their reactions. "Come on. Let's go downstairs, and feed me and talk about who did Rose's nails, because they look awesome, and who cut Wisp's hair, because that is freaking adorable, and then we'll plan makeover night."

Aradyn smiled happily. "I did the nails."

"Like a bro, girlfriend." They stampeded down the stairs in their human forms, a group of four model-type girls. Rose's auburn hair stood out sharply next to the two blondes and Ember's black hair.

"Do we have cereal?" Wisp called. "We want some." She was referring, of course, to herself and Mint, her human half.

"We have… umm… oatmeal?" Rose suggested. "Ara, want to make pancakes? I need more sugar."

"Yeah, right," Ember said, rolling her eyes.

Aradyn closed her eyes for a moment, having a conversation with her human side. "Yep, Rogue's got a recipe. She says that she's going to add chocolate chips. I second that motion!"

"Thirded! And Crimson agrees!" Rose announced.

"Chocolate!" Wispice shouted. "That's from both of us. Wait a minute. Mint said that I didn't shout loud enough. I agree!"

"CHOCOLATE!" she and Ember yelled together. It felt good to be back with her friends. Her crazy, weird, wonderful friends. Her friends, who really understood her, the only people who had any idea of what it was like to share her head with Zariah.

"Best. Battle cry. Ever," Rose declared.

"Oi! All you chocotarians had better pitch in," Aradyn ordered. Actually, Ember wasn't sure that it was Aradyn or Rogue in charge at the moment. However, that didn't really matter. They were so in sync with each other. Aradyn and Rogue really were two halves of the same creature. The same went for Crimson and Rosewing, and again for Mint and Wispice.

Ember envied them so much. She and Zariah were enemies more than friends. They'd never had what could be described as a 'positive relationship.' Zariah and Ember were water and oil: They didn't mix. Never had, never would. Her friends were what this hybrid thing was meant to be, two partners working perfectly in sync as one entity. Ember was the anomaly, the mistake.

She'd been the first hybrid to be created by Herobrine, fusing a human girl to Zariah. Unfortunately, though, the evil god hadn't done any test experiments prior to Ember. Ember and Zariah had survived, of course, but Herobrine hadn't Matched them to each other very well at all. Their personalities were too different for them to probably ever work together.

Ember pushed her thoughts to the side and stood up. That wasn't something to think about. That would only put her in a bad mood. Just like thinking about Sky. Sky…

_No. Not going there._

**_Why are you telling me that?_**

_I wasn't talking to you, Z._

**_Good. I'd rather not deal with stupid humans right now._**

_I understand the feeling._

"Em, you okay?" Wispice asked, steering Ember over to the corner. Rose and Aradyn were arguing over the amount of chocolate that should be added into the pancakes and didn't notice.

"I- I… My wings just hurt," Ember lied weakly. She didn't want to talk about her feelings or shit. Em didn't like talking about herself.

"Mmhmm. You suck at lying to me. I'm waiting." Wispice smiled, her brown eyes open and friendly.

"You know I suck even worse at this feelings crap."

"Yeah, you kind of do, Ember."

"I just don't want to talk about it."

"I'm here, if you ever want to," Wisp sighed, squeezing Ember's hand. They turned around just in time to see Rose dumping an entire container of chocolate chips into the pancake mix.

"YEAH! SUGAR TIME!"

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><p><strong>Ember's 'Like a bro' comment is a fusion of 'boss' and 'pro.' It's my version of 'power moves only.' I forgot to thank people for OCs last time, so here the list is. WispiceMint is from DrunkRussianAni, Aradyn/Rogue is from orchidlove123, and Rosewing/Crimson is from xxCelestiaMCxx. I highly encourage you all to check out these wonderful people, and thank you to everyone who contributed OCs. Please review, and watch out for bunnies!**

**Also, a new thing is starting: Every chapter, I'll select a song that I think fits the chapter well.**

**Song Of The Last Chapter: Monster, by Imagine Dragons**

**Song Of This Chapter (SOTC): TTYLOXOX, by Bella Thorne and Zendaya**


	5. Even Though I Hate You (Ty)

"YEAH! SUGAR TIME!" came the ecstatic shout from beneath him. The smell was absolutely torturous. Ty could tell that pancakes were being cooked, and was that… chocolate? He was starved.

Ty remembered Ember going insane, and then not much else. She'd disappeared, and then something had carried him away to wherever this was. Ty had slipped into an uneasy sleep, and now that he'd woken, he could hear loud voices coming from somewhere under him. Chocolate appeared to figure majorly into these lives.

But who were they? He had no idea where he was, no idea what was happening, no idea of whether or not he should be scared. Ty's face and shoulder stung like mad, and his stomach growled. He remembered now that he'd woken up once before. Someone had noticed as Ty tried to sit up, and injected him with something. He'd fallen back into unconsciousness right away.

That wouldn't seem to support the theory that whatever had brought him here was friendly. That, and… Oh yes. A thick, wide band was wrapped around his stomach, holding him tightly against a cot. A strap of some leather-like material held his forehead back against a headrest of some kind. The result of these multiple restraints was that he could barely move. Ty guessed that that was the point.

It wasn't entirely uncomfortable; he could still breathe fine, and at least it was better than the cold floor of Herobrine's prison. Ty wondered how Sky, Jason, and Mitch would be doing. Would they have gotten a chance to sleep? Were they worrying about him? Would they be being tortured?

That last thought made Ty wonder what was in store for himself. Ember was probably insane. He didn't know where she was, but the thought that she might be outside, hunting for someone to kill, was alarming. Ty didn't know who'd captured him, either. They might be planning on torturing him or something similar. His breath caught in his throat at those thoughts.

Ty tested the bonds that held his head down, hoping to find a weakness. No such luck. And anyway, what would it matter if he got free? He'd still be blind, and trapped in a most likely locked room or cell. Hell, he didn't even know if it was a cell. Ty had no idea if the floor might be trapped, or where the door was, or if there might be some sort of trap attached to the bindings that would activate if he somehow managed to free himself.

He resigned himself to wait. What would come would come, and he couldn't do anything about it. But it was hard. It was hard to stay calm and wait for fate, wait for the pain that he knew was inevitable.

Several minutes (or was it hours? It was impossible to tell) later, a jingling noise pulled Ty out of his reverie. The door slid open with a scraping sound, and an irresistible smell wafted into the room. It was underlined by a mild scent of jasmine. Ember.

She'd betrayed him. She was working with Herobrine. She was evil. He felt mistrust, fear, anger, and even hate boil inside of him.

"What do you want?" Ty hissed. Ember hadn't attacked him yet, so he guessed that she was back to normal. He would not, could not beg for the food that he could smell. His stomach growled loudly, somewhat undermining his efforts.

She sighed, a soft sound. "I don't know anymore. I'm going to clean up those injuries for you, if you'd like, though."

"You're insane, Ember. Stay away."

"I'm perfectly sane."

"Then why are you so calm now, when you were trying to kill me last night?"

"That wasn't last night. And anyway, there's no such thing as night down here."

"You aren't answering."

Ember was silent. Finally, she began to speak in a quiet voice. "It was Zariah, not me. She's a dragon. Our- our souls are literally fused. I used to be a human. I used to be _normal_. But Herobrine changed all that. Zariah's in my head, Ty. She talks to me, tells me things. What's worse, though, is that she can take over me, influence me. That's what happened. You'd made me really"—here Ember hesitated—"angry."

Ty sensed a lie. "You weren't just angry."

She growled low in her throat. "I was… I was scared, okay? I was scared, and upset about what you said. I don't want to think about that, about what I did."

"You'll have to face it eventually," Ty warned her. He wasn't sure if he was making a threat or not.

Ember snarled, and Ty was reminded very firmly that he was talking to something inhuman… Ember was almost an animal, feral and untamed. "I can make sure that day is a long time in coming."

"Whatever," Ty said, allowing some of his disgust at her to creep into his voice. The traitor thought that she could escape retribution. Team Crafted would take their revenge, he was certain.

"Look, do you want me to help you or not? I'm trying to apologize here, and you won't let me. I suck at being sorry, and you don't make it easy."

"Oh, so now it's my fault that the dragon princess or whatever the hell you are is having a bit of trouble? Well, I'm so _sorry_!" In that moment, he hated her.

"Ty, stop it. Just stop. I'll leave now, and you can be alone, if that's what you want. Just tell me, instead of trying to bully me away. I don't want to… to… to… to become a monster again." There was genuine emotion in her voice, real pain, real fear.

He didn't care. "You're already a monster. You always are. You always have been," Ty hissed at Ember.

There was a moment of stricken silence, and Ty could hear Ember's ragged, quick breathing. "Fine," she finally said. Footsteps strode towards the door, which screeched loudly as it slammed shut.

Great. _Why did I have to say that?_ He felt a slight bit ashamed of himself, actually. He didn't mean it. He'd just wanted to be cruel, to hurt her. It had been a low blow, when that was obviously what Ember had feared hearing. And now he was alone, still trapped, still with no idea where he was or what the plans for him were. _Well played, you idiot._

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><p>"Ember?" Ty finally called out to the emptiness that he couldn't see. He needed her, especially in his current blind, helpless situation, and it had been stupid to alienate her. But it wasn't like she'd be in the hall, waiting for him to ask for her. "Ember, are you there?"<p>

"No," came the response, from just behind him. He jumped, inasmuch as it is possible to jump while one is strapped to a cot.

"Wait, you were in here the whole time?"

"I teleported in when I heard you shouting. And I said I'm not here," Ember sighed. "As long as you're going to keep being a jerk, you can still consider me 'not here.'"

"Sorry for bitching at you." He paused. "I kind of… said some pretty shitty things," Ty admitted.

"Yeah, you did." Ember was silent for a moment. "I… I worry a lot about that, you know. Becoming a monster. Because when Zariah takes over, there's nothing I can do. I just go crazy, I just want to hurt people, I just… just try to kill everyone I can get to. It doesn't matter if they're my friends or not. Zariah turns me into a machine, a killing machine. I _am_ a monster, no matter how I look at it."

"I've tried to stop it, you know," she continued. "When Zariah was first in my head, I was just six. I didn't understand what was going on. So I tried to cut her out of my head."

"You _what_?" What the hell?

She picked up his hand and pressed it to her hairline. As he ran his fingers across her scalp, he found a long scar. "I took a knife and tried to cut Zariah out. Herobrine caught me before I could do any more damage, and healed what he could. But it still left a scar."

All Ty could think of to say was, "Wow." The scar was raised a few millimeters off of the level of her skin, and wrapped all the way around her skull, with little jagged trails leading off wherever the blade had slipped. She flinched every time he pressed too hard on the old injury.

"Yeah."

"You were six? And you did that to yourself?"

"At the time, it seemed smart. Like cutting a bad spot out of an apple. There's something you don't like, you cut it away. Problem solved. Except it doesn't work that well on people."

"Let's save that technique for fruit, yes," Ty agreed. That… whoa. It definitely gave him a new understanding. How bad must it be, how miserable would you have to be to take a knife to your own head with the intent of cutting a part of you out? Ty remembered all the times that he'd cut himself and how he'd felt. Things had to be really bad for him to pick up the razor.

Ember laughed softly, dryly. "That might be wise." Ty's stomach growled loudly at that point, making its presence known. "Hungry, are we?"

"Yes. But I'd rather have answers than food. Do you remember the question I asked, before…?" _Before you turned into a crazed, murderous dragon?_

"Y-e-e-e-s," Ember said, stretching out the word. "Among other things that you said." Her tone held a hint of lingering hurt.

"I was only saying the truth," Ty said waspishly, regretting the words as soon as he said them. She stood up to walk away. _Damn it_. He needed Ember to help him, to answer his questions, to give him the information he needed to formulate a plan.

By some miracle, Ty managed to catch Ember's hand. She tensed. "Leave me alone."

"No, Ember. You know I need your help. I… I guess I kind of hate you for betraying me and Sky and Mitch and, well, pretty much everyone, but I need you. Dammit, I'm completely at your mercy here. You are literally the only person who can help me." That pretty much summed up his mixed feelings.

"You aren't acting like it," she said icily.

"Because… damn, it's pretty effing hard to be nice to someone who betrayed you to an evil god, alright?"

Ember sighed, a long, frustrated exhalation. "I'm not asking you to be nice. Let's try 'civil.'"

"I could try, if there was something that made you seem a bit less evil. If you had reasons. If it seemed like you'd betrayed us for something besides 'fun.'"

"I didn't do that for _fun_," she snarled.

"Well, why?"

"It's a long story," Ember said evasively.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"A long, boring story," she emphasized.

"What urgent meeting do I not know of? Shut up and start talking," Ty ordered. He could feel Ember's thin smile as she sat down again, settling in to begin her explanation. _Yes_. At last he would have some answers, some information.

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><p><strong>Hello, Nafia here! For those of you who hadn't noticed, I'm a beta reader now, so YAY! If you're looking for someone to beta a fic for you, PM me and I'll take a looksie. Sorry for not updating sooner, I spent several hours today and yesterday trying version after version of this scene to get it to feel right. Tell me what you thought in the comments, and as always thank you for reading and reviewing! Follow if you like this, and want me to keep updating Ember, Ty, and Sky's story.<strong>

**SOTC****: Sick of You, by Selena Gomez**

_**Comment #ChocolateForDayz if you read this author's note!**_


	6. Madness Pt: 1 (Sky)

**Hey guys! I'm not dead! Sorry for not updating sooner... I've been having some serious writer's block, and I've sort of lost my mojo on this story. I hate putting up bad writing, so that's why it's taken so long. Sorry! I do bad! I do bad!**

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><p>Sky glared hatefully at Herobrine. The evil god had paused in his slow, measured walk towards the prisoners to stare into the empty cage next to Mitch's.<p>

"Where is the other?" Herobrine asked softly. He turned to face Sky. "Well?"

Sky opened his mouth to deliver an insult, but was cut off by Jason. "Ember took him. I don't know where."

"Did she say why?" Herobrine raised a thin, dark eyebrow as he nodded to Jason.

"Because she's a freaking traitorous bitch! She's probably going to torture him or shit!" Mitch yelled. "Dammit! Ember is a bitch!" Sky didn't know whether to defend Ember or agree with Mitch. He didn't know what to think about Ember anymore.

"You have no right to say those things, you bastard," Seto hissed, starting to advance on Mitch.

"Now, now," Herobrine sighed, waving a hand at the sorcerer, who hesitated before stepping back into the shadows. "That wasn't necessary, now, was it?"

Mitch growled angrily, a wordless snarl of pure hate.

"It wasn't," Herobrine continued. "Say you're sorry."

Mitch remained silent, glowering at Seto and the dark god in equal measure. Sky suddenly feared for Mitch's safety as Herobrine's white eyes flashed dangerously.

"Mitch…," he started nervously.

"There's no need to worry for him, if he just apologizes," Herobrine said gently, though the heated, angry glow that seemed to come from his white eyes suggested otherwise.

"Mitch," Sky repeated. "Say sorry." He didn't want to know what would happen if Herobrine's wrath was roused.

Mitch glared at him. "Of course. Side with Ember. She had you totally fooled. You're insane if you're still defending her."

"I- I'm not!"

"Uh-huh." Sarcasm was forming a puddle on the floor, so heavily did it ooze from Mitch's words.

"He- Mitch, Herobrine wants to hurt you! Don't give him a reason to!"

Mitch remained obstinate. "I don't believe that you're giving in like this, Sky. I thought better of you."

Sky felt as though he'd been punched. "I- I'm not giving in to him, Mitch, but… we have to choose our battles."

Herobrine coughed slightly. "I'd hate to interrupt what is proving to be an interesting discussion, but I need your apology to Ember, Mitch."

"Mmhmm, not happening."

"Very well. It's quite disappointing, you know. I'm really sorry that I have to do this." Herobrine, actually, didn't appear disappointed at all. More… delighted, like a toddler who finds a present with his name on it. He spoke a quick syllable, and red energy collected above his extended, upturned palm. "Hold still. Don't worry; this will only hurt a lot." His smile was wide, showing his fanglike teeth.

Mitch was frozen, clearly immobilized by Herobrine. The god stepped closer, tilting his head to one side like a cat tracking a mouse's movement, and pointed his finger at his prisoner. With a whispered word, the red light crackled off of Herobrine's hand, colliding with Mitch, who screamed and collapsed to the ground. His cries increased in volume as his tormentor flexed his hand, changing the intensity of the agony to a higher level.

Sky's attention was dragged from the spectacle by a cackle reminiscent of a hyena. Seto had thrown back his head and begun to laugh, his pale face flushed excitedly. "Yes…" he choked out. "Revenge… _yes_." Seto's chocolate eyes were closed, and waves of laughter rocked his body as he swayed on his feet, doubled over in a hysterical giggling fit.

Herobrine glanced at the demented sorcerer, who had slid down the wall and become a heap of maniacally laughing purple fabric, as he'd become almost buried in his cloak. Mitch howled again, which prompted a new explosion of sniggering from Seto.

"Revenge," he smiled, wild glee writ on his face.

"Seto, control yourself," Herobrine sighed, exasperation clear in his tone. Sky stared at Seto. Holy Notch. He must be insane. What had Herobrine done to him? Of course, Sky had known that there was enmity between Mitch and Seto, but he hadn't thought it was this bad.

Herobrine waved his hand, and Mitch's screams abated as he collapsed to the floor.

"Mitch!" Sky shouted. "Are you alright?"

The only response was a weak whimper.

"Come on," Herobrine chided. "Get up." Mitch made no movement, just continued to lie there, breathing heavily. "I _am_ sorry that I had to do that. You simply left me no choice." He didn't look sorry at all.

"Mitch?" Jason called tentatively. Again, there was no reaction.

"Is he okay?" Sky asked timidly.

"Of course," Herobrine scoffed, looking somewhat offended. "I wouldn't cripple him. I need you all alive, and preferably undamaged. He's being a drama llama."

"Did you really just say that?" Ember asked. Ember… The traitor. The reason that he was in this mess. The girl he loved. Sky hadn't seen her come in.

He felt his stomach twist at the sight of her. Ember looked just like she always had, as she was in her human form. Her long black hair was swept up into a messy bun, exposing her pale neck. Sky could see the chain of her necklace, its silvery metal standing out sharply against her creamy skin. Ember's sapphire eyes were bright, a slightly amused glint in their azure depths.

Herobrine looked to be at a loss for words. "I- I suppose I did," he finally sighed. "What are you here for?"

"I wanted to tell you that I have the other human at the house. Just to spare you worry."

"Very good," the god nodded. "Have you informed him of our plans for him?"

"Yeah. Ty can explain it to these prisoners, if that'd work."

"That would be excellent. It would appear, then, that I'm done here. Except… Seto, can you, ah, discipline the prisoners for their little escape attempt?"

Seto looked up, his chocolate eyes widening. "Discipline…?" he echoed, as though unsure of the word's meaning.

"Punish them."

"Punish them?"

"Inflict some measure of pain on them," Herobrine said, some amount of frustration detectable in his tone.

Seto blinked; he looked about as excited about this order as Sky was. That is to say, not. "Torture them?"

"_Discipline_ them," the god groaned.

"You want me to hurt Sky, and Jason? My… my friends?"

"NOW!" Herobrine roared, and Seto jumped, stumbling on his robes.

"Uh, okay! I was just, um, clarifying!"

"If you need this much _clarification_ on this sort of thing, I dread discovering what manner of handbook you'll need if I give you a mission." Herobrine spoke a word and disappeared.

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><p><strong>Tell me what you guys think of my Herobrine character. I wanted him to not just be evil, but a little more... creepy. Thanks for reading, and again, I'm not dead! Comment #ZombieLives if you read this!<strong>

**SOTC: 'Sorry' by Madonna**


	7. Madness Pt: 2 (Sky)

**I feel the need to add that I've got nothing against Mitch. Every story needs an antagonist, though, and I think he's sort of become one. Anyway, beside the point. Enjoy!**

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><p>Seto turned to Ember as soon as Herobrine disappeared. "Em, is Ty okay?"<p>

"Wait, how do you know her?" Sky asked. This was confusing…

Ember snorted. "I told you before. I was the one who captured him."

"He didn't ask _you_," Jason said, rolling his eyes. Ember opened her mouth, but Seto pulled her away before she could say something cutting, shaking his head warningly. She glared at them both in turns. Jason stared back hatefully.

"She did capture me. Herobrine ordered her to… to torture me to death." Seto swallowed hard. "Em persuaded him to let me live. I… I owe her my life."

"Wow, I'm in tears," Mitch sighed. "The traitor and the slut. A match made in the Aether."

Seto snarled, and fire encased his hands. "You. Will. Take. That. Back."

"Seto, chill," Ember ordered. "He isn't worth it. It's not that I wouldn't like to punch him"—her hands balled into fists—"but it would be too much effort. I'm not going to bother, luckily for Mitch." Her eyes flashed purple as she said this.

The sorcerer hesitated, then simply smiled coldly. "I've got the energy to spare." The flames shot off of his hands and wrapped around Mitch, who gave a howl of agony. Seto giggled happily, like a kid on Christmas morning. The smell of burning skin filled the air.

"Seto! You may not have understood that that was an _order_," Ember growled.

The sorcerer turned to her, a small pout puckering his face. "But…" Mitch cried out, agonized. Seto continued as if nothing had happened. "He insulted you, Ember, and you're just going to take it? He's less than us! We shouldn't accept that from lower life forms! We… Ember, you aren't a slut! You shouldn't have to listen to him lying!"

What? _He thinks that we aren't as good as him?_ Sky stared at Seto in disbelief. That was insane. He and Jason and Mitch were equal to Seto. They were all humans, for crying out loud!

Ember sighed, resting a placating hand on Seto's arm. "Seto. Listen to me. I don't like it. Do you think I do? But the fact is you'd have to kill him before he apologizes." Mitch screamed again, Seto's flames lapping hungrily at his flesh.

"Then I'll kill him!" Seto screeched. He looked quite deranged. "Em, you don't know what he did to me, the way he treated me. I can't stand it! I'll kill him!"

"No, you won't. At least, not yet." Seto raised his hands to start another spell, but Ember caught his arms.

"Leggo, Ember!" He struggled to free himself, forcing her to resort to the tried and true method of forcing him to the floor and pinning his hands behind his back.

"What, so you can kill him? I don't think so. End the fire spell."

"Lemme up!" Seto wailed, like an angry toddler.

"End the spell! That's an order, you idiot!"

Seto screamed, a wordless cry of frustration. "Fine!" he yowled. Ember loosened her grip on the enraged sorcerer enough for him to scramble to his feet. He mumbled a sullen counterspell, which extinguished the flames, and then some other words. The last few terms did not sound flattering in the least.

Mitch was on the ground, covered in red, angry burns. Sky felt sick to his stomach as he watched Seto, who was sitting on the ground, panting heavily. Seto had done… _this_. "Seto… why?"

"Like you don't understand. Sky, you know the way you guys acted around me. You know the way you all treated me. You and Jason and Ty… you weren't so bad. Especially Ty. But everyone else- I was too different, I was too dangerous, I was a freak." He spat the last word like a curse.

"You weren't a fre—okay, you were, but that's not necessarily a bad thing," Sky said awkwardly. "I thought you were pretty badass." It was the truth. He'd always wished that he could have powers like Seto, powers that didn't come from an amulet, but from himself.

The sorcerer snorted. "Right. You can't flatter me, Sky, because I don't need your opinion. I'm _free_ now. Sky, I know that I'm special. That I'm powerful. I know who I am now."

Sky stared at Seto. The magic user was more confident than he'd ever been before. _Herobrine: the solution for a lack of self-esteem._

Jason sighed. "Seto, apparently you are a power-crazed torturer. Or at least, that's the vibe I'm getting. Is it just me, Sky? Or did he just go completely psychotic and try to kill Mitch?"

Seto flushed, blood suffusing his pale features. "I am _not_ 'power-crazed!'"

"Yeah? Then why'd you side with Herobrine?"

"Because…" Seto closed his eyes. "He… you know, Jason. He tortured me. You have no idea… Everything we've done to you… it's nothing. Believe me, you don't want to know what I went through. It… the pain." He let out an involuntary whimper as he shuddered, starting to rock back and forth on his heels. "The pain." Back and forth. "The pain." Back and forth. "H-hurt…"

"Seto, I think you need to relax," Ember said.

He screamed, raising a hand to ward off some imaginary attacker. "It hurts!"

"Seto!" Ember called.

"I- I didn't mean to! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! No choice!" He laughed. "I'm sorry!" Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

Ember cursed, pulling a small vial from her pocket. "Seto, you need to drink this. You need to calm down."

"I'm sorry! It hurts! The pain… the pain!"

Sky stared at them. What the hell was going on?

Ember held the uncapped vial to Seto's slightly parted, chapped lips, and the sorcerer swallowed obediently before giving a loud cry. "Make it stop! It… It hurts too much!" He swayed unsteadily, and Ember caught him before he hit the ground.

"What. The. Shit. Just happened?" Jason said, voicing what Sky was thinking. Actually, Sky had been imagining a stronger expletive, but 'shit' worked too.

"Seto had… I'd guess he had a flashback. I knocked him out with the potion. He'll be alright." Ember paused. "I think."

"What did you _do_ to him?" Sky asked, gaping at her. It was all he could do to not get lost in her eyes… Her perfect, gorgeous eyes. _Not thinking about that._ He felt as though something had torn his stomach out and replaced it with lead every time he looked at her. It hurt so much, just being in the same room as the girl he loved, the girl who'd betrayed him to an evil god.

"Me? Nothing. It was all Herobrine." Ember didn't meet Sky's eyes, and instead dropped her gaze to her feet. "I suppose that Ty'll tell you what you need to know about the plans. I'll bring him here once I deal with Seto. That just leaves one thing."

"What?" Sky asked apprehensively.

"She's going to 'punish' us," Jason said. He had turned a very delicate shade of green, sick with anticipation. "Just get it over with, _traitor_."

Sky stared at Ember, who only ducked her head. "Jason's right. I have to. Herobrine's orders."

"So what are you going to do?" Jason said.

"Hold out your hand," she ordered, not answering.

"No," he declared.

"Jason, hold out your hand, or I will personally rip your liver out and feed it to a zombie." Her threat made his eyes go wide, and he slowly extended his hand through the bars, his face white with trepidation. "Works every time," Ember smiled, and slapped Jason's palm, then stepped away.

His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "That's it?"

"I'd rather not get messy. Anyway, Herobrine said 'some amount of pain.' Would you consider that to be pain?"

Jason's jaw dropped. "Yeah…"

"Good. So that's it. Sky, hold out your hand."

He complied, and Ember repeated her 'punishment.' The lingering tingle from where her hand had touched his wouldn't leave for several hours, and it wasn't from the force of her strike.

"I'm literally letting you guys off with a slap on the wrist. Don't expect me to do this again. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Jason said. "Thanks, Ember."

"Yes," Sky echoed. Ember nodded, and picked up Seto, carrying his unconscious body down the hallway. Sky tracked her steps, and stared at the door that she disappeared through for a few moments after she left.

"That was nice of her," Jason muttered.

* * *

><p><strong>So... Seto is insane! This is awesome!<strong>

**Sky**: No. No, it isn't.

**Me**: Hell yeah it is!

**Sky**: This isn't fair. Why me?

**Me**: Because you're one of the protagonists. You must go through conflict.

**Sky**: Can't I just stay home?

**Thanks for reading, and stay awesome! Comment with the #ShouldaStayedHome if you read this!**

**SOTC: 'The Monster,' by Eminem and Rihanna**


	8. Soup (Ember)

Seto blinked rapidly, opening his eyes as Ember buried him in a quilt. "Em… what happened?"

Ember pushed him back down as he tried to sit up. "You need to sleep. You're exhausted."

"Ember..." Seto groaned.

"Talk to Wisp if you aren't happy. She said that you have 'a delicate constitution,' and that we need to 'nurse you back to health,'" Ember said, grinning at the dismay on the sorcerer's face. "You're probably going to be here for a while." Wispice could be a bit… overprotective. The small green dragon, and Mint, her equally small human counterpart, were obsessive when it came to taking care of people.

"Ember, please. You won't let her do this to me," Seto begged. "I don't want to be stuck in here!"

Ember snorted. "At least you have company. I've heard misery loves that."

"What?"

"Me. I broke my wing."

"Ah." The sorcerer sighed. "Zariah went psycho?"

"Yeah. Ty really pissed us off."

"Like… how?"

"Mostly… Seto, I'm just a mess. I feel… I feel like I did something wrong in finishing my mission, but I didn't. I did the right thing in bringing Sky and Mitch and Ty here. I know I did. But I'm feeling kind of- sick, I guess." Ember paused. "Ty just sort of hit me where it would hurt the most."

"That sucks. You shouldn't feel sick, though. Em, you did the right thing. You… Ember, they were never your real friends. You know you were just acting. We're creating a new world here. You did what you had to do to make it so that we can have this new land."

"Yeah…"

Seto's eyes lit up. "Someday, Ember, because of people like us, everyone different will have a world that they can be safe in. We're creating somewhere that all the freaks like us can be in peace. In the future, I won't have to hide who I am, what I am. Everyone who used to bully me, who thought less of me—they'll realize that I'm better than them." His expression hardened for a moment. "And then they'll pay."

"What are you going to do?" Ember asked. She wondered what Seto planned for those who'd wronged him in the past.

He smiled. "First… first I'm going to kill Mitch. Slowly. Painfully. Well, not first. I'll practice on some other assholes first. That way I can make sure that I get my revenge in the best way. Actually, I'm not going to kill him." Seto's chocolate eyes clouded thoughtfully.

"What are you thinking about?"

"What I'm going to do instead. I won't kill Mitch. That would be too fast for him. I think… yeah, that's better." He laughed, and Ember suppressed a shiver. Seto might have really lost it. "I'm going to torture him. I'll heal him, so that I can keep hurting him. I might even make him immortal. Then I'll have forever to make him hurt. I'll torture Jerome, too, and make Mitch watch. Or… better! I'll make Mitch torture him." Seto giggled. "He'll hate that! He cares for Jerome, you know," he said in response to Ember's questioning look. "They fight, but he cares. Yeah… I think I will."

"You're going to make Mitch torture Jerome?"

"Yes," Seto breathed. "That's how I'll get my revenge. What are you going to do?"

"I… I hadn't thought about it," Ember finally admitted.

"You should. Isn't Herobrine almost ready to invade?"

"I'll think about it once we've won."

"Yeah, fair enough." Seto slumped back, and they fell into a silence.

There was a knock, and the door opened. Seto stifled a moan at the sight of Wispice, who was infamous for her fawning. Ember smirked at the victim/patient.

"I brought some soup," she announced cheerily. "And some tea. Geez, Ember, you should turn on the lights, at least. Seto looks so miserable! Poor baby," she cooed. Seto gazed pleadingly at Ember, who only shook her head as Wispice flicked a switch, flooding the dark room with light. Wisp pulled tendrils of the brunette's messy hair out of his eyes and propped him up with a pillow.

Seto was obviously making an effort to be a good sport as Wispice spooned some of the famously disgusting mushroom soup into his mouth. He even managed to suppress his gagging long enough to swallow the liquid, though he was now glaring furiously at Ember for allowing him to be subjected to this torment.

"Seto, you really are super skinny," Wisp remarked. "You need to eat a lot more. I'll make more soup."

"No! I- I mean, I'm not hungry right now, Wispice, I'm really not," Seto gabbled, clearly terrified. "In fact, I think… I think I'm going to take a nap now. I'm super tired." He gave a huge yawn, which wasn't entirely convincing.

Wispice looked slightly hurt. "I'm just trying to help. Em, does he just not want me around?"

"Seto thinks he's fine, and doesn't want to be fussed over. It's nothing personal, Wisp. I'll make him finish the soup, 'cause we need to talk anyway. But, um, could you do me a huge favor?" Ember asked, choosing her words carefully. Wisp liked to be doing something at all times, so to distract her from this self-appointed task, Ember would need something else. Sacrifices must be made.

"Sure, Em! What can we do?" she said eagerly, perking back up again. Now Ember knew she had the attention of both Wispice and Mint. Usually it was mostly Wispice that led the way in the Nurse Incidents.

"Well…" Ember hesitated artfully; she could see Wisp getting more excited by the moment. "Ty… the human we brought here? Could you take care of him?" _I'm sorry, Ty._

"Okay!" She jumped up. "We're on it!"

**_Well played_**, Zariah grudgingly admitted. **_Very classy._**

_Thanks?_ Ember didn't think that it could be an actual compliment.

Seto sighed with relief as she darted out the door. "Thanks, Ember."

"No problem. And you could have been a bit more subtle. She's just trying to take care of you. It's the way she is— plain, straight-up nice."

The sorcerer groaned. "Has anyone ever suggested to her that there's such a thing as too much kindness?"

"Rose mentions it about ten times a day. Eh, maybe more like twenty."

Seto laughed. "Rose would." He snapped his fingers, and the light switch flicked down, plunging the room back into the dark. "Much better."

"You like the dark?"

"It's grown on me."

"I've always loved it."

"Why?" Seto asked, curiously. Ember's abnormally keen sight could detect that his brown eyes were widened in the semi-blackness, trying to capture as much light as possible.

"I can hide more easily. I have the advantage in the darkness. For example, if I were hunting you, I'd be able to see you. I can hear you breathing; your heart is beating a bit faster than most humans, but that's a natural response to being trapped in the dark. Also, I can smell you."

"Are you saying I stink?"

"Yep. You smell like a human, but slightly spicier. That's probably your fire magic." Ember inhaled. "Spicy, and slightly bitter. A bit tangy."

"Please do _not_ use food words to describe me," Seto grumbled.

"You're edible."

"Gah! Seriously, Ember!"

"Do you really think I'd eat you?"

"No…"

"I wouldn't, because I'd be picking bones out of my teeth for days. And you're too scrawny to bother with."

"I am not food!"

"I just said that," Ember teased.

Seto glared at her. "It _isn't _funny to make someone think that you're considering them as an entrée."

**_Actually, it is. _**

_For once, I'll agree with you, Z._

Ember laughed at Seto's indignant expression. The sorcerer's lips had formed a small, petulant frown, and he was clearly trying to maintain some semblance of haughtiness in his chocolate eyes.

"I don't see why you think this is funny," he finally mumbled.

"Because it is," she smiled. "You look ridiculous."

"Thank you."

"Any time."

**Thanks for reading! I hope you guys are enjoying this story, and that it hasn't gotten too boring. I'm stuck in a sort of rut, and I feel like my writing hasn't been very good. Anyway, thanks for reading; it means so much to me every time I get a review! Check out the Review Revolution on my profile if you get the chance! Peace out!**

**SOTC: 'Overprotected' by Britney Spears**


	9. I Don't Know (Ember)

It was a long time before the brunette sorcerer finally admitted defeat and surrendered to his undeniable exhaustion. "G'night, Em."

"I told you you were exhausted," she smiled. "Go to sleep, you persistent fool."

Seto glared at her before rolling over and burying his face in the pillow. He moved a blanket over his head, effectively disappearing under the covers. "I wasn't tired until now," he muttered.

"Yeah, right."

Silence ensued as Seto lay very still, breathing evenly and smoothly, his eyes closed lightly. Ember could just make out the small movements of his steadily rising and falling chest under the multiple layers of blankets that covered his skinny body. He looked to be asleep, but somehow, Ember knew that he was faking it, waiting for her to leave or… do _something_. She decided to wait him out. He'd get impatient eventually.

"Ember, what happened? Before… before I blacked out?" Seto asked suddenly. Success. "I don't remember anything, really." So… that was it.

"Come out from your nest and we can talk," Ember sighed. She wondered how he'd take knowing what had happened.

Seto reluctantly propped himself up with one elbow. "Fine. Now talk." His brown hair was mussed, and several tendrils flopped down into his sleepy-looking eyes.

"So… before I knocked you out," Ember began, only to be interrupted.

"Holy Notc- I mean, Herobrine. _You_ knocked me out? What was I doing?"

"Don't say the N-word," Ember warned. That was the main rule here in the End: Do. No. Say. Notch. Herobrine flew into a rage at the mere mention of his older brother. "And you… you had a flashback. You kind of… you went kind of insane."

"A… a flashback?" Seto blinked rapidly and brushed some of his disheveled hair out of his eyes. It resisted his efforts and slipped back down.

"Yeah, I think." Ember pursed her lips tightly, running a hand through her black hair, twisting a piece of it around her fingers, enjoying the way it pulled at her scalp.

"What happened? Do you know… could you tell when I was?"

"It was… it was back to while Herobrine was torturing you."

Seto's chocolate eyes went huge, dominating his thin face. "You have no idea… the pain! The pain!" He gave a small shudder, the whites of his eyes almost disappearing into the huge, coffee-colored pools of his irises.

"Seto, it's okay," Ember said, resting her cold hand on his shoulder.

"It isn't! Em… I remember _everything_! It hurt s-so m-much," he gasped, his entire body trembling. "I… no… too much!"

"Seto…"

**_He's traumatized._**

_I gathered that, actually, Zariah._

**_Am I not allowed to help?_**

_Your version of 'help' is to murder whoever has the problem._

**_They'd no longer have the problem…_**

_That's because they'd be dead_, Ember sighed, with as much patience as she could muster.

**_But the problem would be solved._**

_That doesn't matter if whoever had it is DEAD._

**_Bitch._**

_Right back at you._

"Ember… help me. I… I just can't… I can't deal with this," Seto pleaded, shaking. Sweat was beading out across his forehead.

Ember stroked his hair, unsure of what to do. "It'll be alright. Seto, I shouldn't have even mentioned this. Just go to sleep."

"I…"

"Shh. Just sleep." _He needs rest_, she told herself. _Then he'll be fine_.

The sorcerer looked, for a moment, like he might protest, but then thought better of it and nodded. Seto looked like a little kid as he allowed Ember to tuck the blankets around his emaciated frame, his eyes falling closed as she did so. She felt his skeletal hand catch hold of hers as she turned to walk away. "Em, please."

"Please what?"

"I… stay. I'm scared," he breathed. "I don't know what's happening to me. I don't know how to deal with this, because I can't not remember. I can't forget the way the torture felt, and it still feels so fresh. Stay, please."

"Um… okay. I could go get Wisp, if that would help. She's better at this sort of thing," Ember said awkwardly.

"Stay," Seto begged, the word barely audible. His grip slackened somewhat, and Ember returned to her spot beside him.

"I will." _At least for now_. Ember doubted that he'd recall this conversation when he woke up.

"Good," came the faint response. Seto's chocolate eyes were closed, and he was curled up on one side, his knees pulled tightly against his chest.

"No problem," Ember replied. She knew that he hadn't heard; his eyes remained closed, and he gave a tiny sigh as he snuggled into the covers, clearly asleep. He reminded Ember of a tiny fawn, helpless and small. Well, that was only while he was asleep. To be honest, the way he treated Mitch scared her somewhat.

Ember sat with Seto for a few minutes longer before slipping out the door, closing it gently. The hallway was bright, even blinding, at least compared to the darkness of Seto's room. She was probably the only one awake. Aradyn would be on guard duty at the prison, and Rose and Wispice would be sleeping.

This might be an opportunity. Ember could read for a while. She could catch up on some sleep, too. She could plan a parkour course. Actually, she'd probably just read. Ember walked down the hallway to her room, flopping down on her bed, feeling herself relax. 'The Lord of the Things,' by R.J.J. Koltien. It was one of her favorite books of all time.

Someone coughed loudly, and subsequently cursed. "Shit!"

Ember sat up with a start. "Ty?"

"Yeah?"

"What the hell are you doing in my room?"

"Oh, crap. This is your room?"

"Mmhmm. Why are you in here?"

"Umm… shoot. I was… uh… well, damn, you weren't supposed to catch me."

"You were trying to escape?"

Ty cursed again. "Was it really that obvious?"

"Yes," Ember sighed. "Ty, what the hell were you thinking? You. Are. Blind. Exactly how were you planning this great getaway?"

He slumped to the floor. "I don't know."

"Precisely." Ember sighed again, then slid to the ground and crossed the room, helping him to his feet. Ty flinched as soon as she touched him, but Ember ignored that, steering him through the hallway and back to the room he had previously occupied. He shuffled along, unresisting.

"Are you going to punish me?" Ty finally asked sullenly.

"I don't think so," Ember decided. He wouldn't try escaping again, she knew. Ty was smart enough not to press his luck.

"Thanks, I guess." He slouched on the cot, Ember right beside him.

"Spit it out, will you?"

"What?"

"You have something you want to say. Spill," Ember ordered.

He groaned. "Fine. It's the plan, you and Herobrine's plan, that's got me worried. Well, more than I would normally be."

Ah. Yes, that made sense. "Fair enough."

"You know that we'll never agree to join you, Ember," Ty warned. "It's crazy."

"Herobrine plans to force you. And there are benefits."

"Ember, what benefit could there be to joining Herobrine and merging with a _dragon_?" Ty moaned. He was clearly _not_ enthused by that aspect of the plan. In Ember's opinion, that would probably be the only good aspect.

Herobrine planned to merge Ty, Jason, Mitch, and Sky with dragons and force them to take an unbreakable oath to serve him. It would be eliminating several of his enemies, while at the same time creating four new super-soldiers. The plan was a masterstroke, and Ember was fairly certain that it would succeed. Ty was, understandably, unhappy about this.

"Ty, it could be worse," Ember said placatingly.

"Yeah? Like how?"

"We could be forcing you to become a martyr and save the world from Wisp's soup. You'd eat it all, to spare everyone else."

Ty turned as green as his headphones. "About that… don't _ever_ send her to torture me like that again."

"Sorry, but she was tormenting Seto. Wispice already confined him to bed for a week."

"Seto's not going to like that. And anyway, you've avoided my question. What benefit could there possibly be to joining you?"

"Well, a lot."

"That's helpful," he sighed sarcastically.

"Oh, you wanted details?" Ember asked, equally caustic.

"So now _you're_ mad at _me_?" Ty hissed, defensive.

"What if I am?" Ember snarled, feeling purple begin to fill her vision. **"What if I am?"**

Ty seemed to notice the change in her voice. "Hey, dude, chill. Don't kill me."

Ember laughed. **"I'll kill you if I want to."**

"Ember… just relax," Ty ordered, though the tremor in his voice marked him as weak and frightened. It made him… _prey_.

**"You can't control me!" **Ember shouted. **"I'm free!"**

"Ember, this isn't you. Calm down," he begged. Something about the words resonated. What was happening?

* * *

><p><strong>Did you guys get that? Well, didja? Didja? The J.R.R. Tolkien and Lord of the Rings equalling 'R.J.J. Koltien and the Lord of the Things,' I mean. And I'm very sorry for not updating for so long... I've had writer's block, and only recently have I broken it. Kudos to orchidlove123 for helping me get through that! #RJJKoltien if you read this! <strong>

**SOTC: 'Sweet Escape' by Gwen Stefani, featuring Akon.**


	10. Kill You (Ty)

"I… Sorry, what did I just do? I didn't try to kill you, right?" Ember asked, somewhat sheepishly. Thank Notch. It had worked.

Ty sighed. "No, you didn't, but I'm surprised that you managed to take control back." He'd thought that he was going to get eaten, actually.

"Me too. That doesn't usually happen. Did you hit my head really hard?"

"No…" Was that the typical policy?

"Hmm. How'd you get me back to normal?"

"As normal as you get, you mean," Ty muttered.

"Please answer the question," Ember sighed.

"Fine. I told you to calm down, and you did."

"Wait, that worked?" Ember said. Ty could imagine her dumbstruck expression.

"Yeah."

"Wow. Usually I get locked up in a… in a _cage_ until I can calm down."

"Sounds fun," Ty smirked.

"Thanks for getting Zariah out of my head," Ember said slowly, as though the words pained her. The chill that came off of her skin was easy to detect, even though they sat apart.

"Hey, it's in my best interest to keep you from killing me," he said.

"I guess."

"Don't. It should be pretty damn obvious," Ty ordered sharply.

"I guess."

"Stop saying that." Ty felt around in the space between them for her hand, for some anchor, some way to figure out where she was. Ember clasped his hand tightly in her own. Was she… _shivering_?

"Fine."

"You still didn't answer my question. What benefits could there possibly be to joining you?"

"Well, one is you would be released. You wouldn't be a prisoner anymore."

"That doesn't matter, if I were sworn to obey Herobrine."

"Fair enough. Second is the power. Your strength would increase, as well as your speed and agility. You'd be able to fly, and turn into a dragon. You might even develop additional talents, like how I can summon portals to the End and use those as a method of teleporting."

Ty thought about that for a moment, and then shook his head to clear it. The idea of those powers was… appealing, to say the least. How could they not be? "Those powers aren't worth my free will, Ember."

"That's understandable, and I never said that they were. Another thing that might be a plus is having someone else to turn to, having another mind."

"Look how well that went for you," Ty muttered.

Her breath caught in her throat. "Ty, you don't have to tell me that. I… never mind."

"I do mind, Ember. Tell me."

"No. I don't know why I tell you half of what I do. You don't care. You hate me."

Ty sighed. "I don't hate you."

She laughed. "If you're going to lie, at least make up something believable."

"But I'm not lying." And somehow, Ty knew that it was true. He didn't hate her. He was mad at her, yes, wanted revenge, but he didn't _hate_ Ember. "I want you to pay for what you did, and I don't like you, but that's different from hate."

"Maybe it is, but they have the same effect."

"They don't. Hate is blind. I can still chose rationally what to do when I'm around you. For example, I'm not trying to strangle you."

"How true. But you still want me dead."

Ty groaned. "You only deal in absolutes, don't you? Either I like you or I hate you. I'm not mad or I want you dead. Ember, that's stupid. I don't want you dead. I just want some sort of payback, something to make me feel whole again. But I will say this again, I don't hate you."

"I don't believe you." Her voice shook slightly. "You hate me. _I'd_ hate me. I'd want to kill me."

"But you aren't me, Ember." Why couldn't she understand?

"This isn't how it was supposed to work," Ember murmured softly.

"How what was supposed to work?"

"_Everything_. Me capturing you guys, for starters. And a lot of other shit."

Ty snorted. He didn't want to be part of her pity party. "It seems like it went pretty damn well, as in, I'm blind and stuck here, and all my friends are locked in cages while Herobrine and our other friend who turned traitor torture them. Thanks to _you_." He hadn't realized how mad he was until he spat the words out.

"I completed my mission, but so many things went wrong."

"Mmhmm, yeah right. Like what?"

She was silent for a long time. "I… I still _care_," she finally breathed. "I wasn't supposed to care."

"Excuse me, what the hell?" Ty wasn't sure he'd heard right. She _cared_ about him, and Sky, and Jason, and Mitch? No way was that possible.

"I… Ty, I still care about what happens to you guys. I… I shouldn't have, but I kind of fooled myself into thinking you were my actual friend."

He felt a sick, slightly disgusted feeling rise in his stomach. "I thought you were the one telling me to come up with believable lies."

"It's not a lie."

"And I would trust you, a _traitor_, why, exactly?"

"I don't know."

"So don't bother."

"I just don't understand you!" she growled. "One moment you're nice, the next you act like a total bitch! Why, Ty?"

"That's better than being a _permanent_ bitch!" he shouted back.

Ember hissed. "**We**… no… Zariah, _no_, we can't… **we will**… we won't!" she snarled. Her hand clenched around Ty's tightly.

Oh, not again. Ty felt himself tense. "Ember, calm down. Just relax."

"So… what? So you… can keep… keep acting like… _this_?" Ember choked out, each word sounding laboriously torn from her. "Maybe… maybe I _shouldn't _stop Zariah."

"Em, it's okay…" Was it possible that she was going to let Zariah take control?

**"Don't lie unless it's believable,"** Zariah warned. **"She won't fight me anymore. At least not regarding you."**

"She said she cared…"

Talons caressed his chin almost lovingly, yet blood beaded out from the injuries. **"And you believed her?"**

"You aren't acting like you do normally," Ty said, playing for time.

**"You've only met me while I possess Ember unwillingly."**

"She agreed to this?"

**"You pissed her off. She does care about you… but only to a degree. I've influenced her somewhat, of course, but a lot of this is her. Don't feel betrayed."**

"Ember!" Ty shouted desperately. "I'm sorry!" He knew that Zariah was just savoring his fear, waiting for the right moment to kill him.

**"She isn't listeni**—Ty!" Ember called. "She's ta—**ng to you, boy!"**

"Ember, what's happening?"

**"Gah! Die now, stupid human!"** Zariah shouted. "Ty, run—**I'll kill you, Embe**—Seto!"

Ty felt a gash open across his face as the hybrid girl's talons whipped across his face. And then her teeth met in his throat, and his thoughts melted away.

* * *

><p><strong>This was more fun than it should have been to write. Sorry guys. Especially sorry to Ty. I may double update. But then again, I may not...<strong>

**SOTC: Another One Bites The Dust, by Queen (What? This is appropriate, is it not?)**


	11. Idea (Ember)

Oh no. Oh no. "Ty!" Ember screamed as Zariah released her mental stranglehold. "Someone! Help me!"

The boy slowly slid to the ground, blood pouring from the wound in his throat. It puddled on the ground in a shallow crimson pool. His hands spasmed weakly, pawing at the torn mess of his throat.

She'd been mad at Ty, yes, but never agreed to this. Ember hadn't wanted Ty dead. But now he was bleeding to death on the floor, red gore pulsing out in time with his heart. This was an injury that she couldn't heal, that no one could, probably. It struck her suddenly that this was the first person she'd ever killed. He was only a human, but…

Ty's breath gurgled, the blood bubbling inside his mortal wound. "Finish… it," he rasped, almost begging. Begging for death.

"T-Ty… It was an accident!" Ember whimpered. "I didn't… I didn't mean to!" But that wouldn't save him.

"No… difference. Kill… me… now. Please," he choked.

"I can't!" she howled. "'I can't do that!"

"You… did," Ty sighed, his head falling back. His chest rose and fell faintly, every breath creating a strangled burbling sound in the gash in his neck.

It was true. She'd killed him, and now she could only wait for him to fade. Tears ran down her face, not from sadness, but rage and frustration. She hated herself, and more importantly, Zariah, the part of her that had taken Ty's life. An innocent life. A life that should have had no part in this fight, in Herobrine's plans at all.

"Ty, you're going to survive," she promised, knowing full well that it was a lie. He knew it too, Ember could see it in the set of his jaw, in the unshed tears of pain that swelled and threatened to spill across his face.

There was a faint _pop_. Ember wheeled around, and saw the face that she least wanted to see at the moment: Herobrine.

"_What_ is going on?" he asked, his thin eyebrows knitting together as he took in the tableau that had unfolded around him. He didn't appear surprised or disgusted to see Ty's bleeding body.

"I… Zariah… she… she attacked him!" Ember cried out, her voice rising in a crescendo. Herobrine crossed the room in two quick strides, catching Ember tightly, pinning her arms to her sides.

"Look at me," he ordered. Ember complied, meeting his emotionless white eyes, feeling the burn of salty tears flooding her own more sentimental purple ones. What was Herobrine going to do? "Zariah took over?"

"Y-yes," Ember whispered, wanting, but not daring, to escape his iron grip, the restraint of his hands. "Ty—the human—he… he was making me mad… and… and… Zariah! She made me attack him!"

"She's gotten stronger," the dark god whispered, as though to himself. "It's such a waste."

"What?"

"That he'll die." Herobrine sighed wistfully. "I had plans for that human."

"Can we… can you heal him?"

"Why? I might be able to, but it's unlikely. There's no point in using my energy with no gain. Why would you want him alive anyway? He's only a human."

A bubble of blood was swelling in Ty's throat, and it burst, sending flecks of red across the room. He gave a gurgling, rasping scream of pain, and Ember felt sick. "Because…"

Herobrine narrowed his eyes. "You care, don't you?" he almost purred. Ember tried to suppress the tremble of fear that ran through her spine. "You do. Ember, I never thought that you would be so… so weak."

"It's not weak, it's natural," Ember found herself protesting.

"It's human, you mean, and humans are weak."

Ember didn't reply. How could she? It was the truth; humans _were_ weak.

Eventually, Herobrine spoke again, his voice cold. "Why do you care, Ember?"

"He… It's my fault. He didn't do anything to me, he wasn't in my way, wasn't in the way of our plan, but he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was innocent, Herobrine!"

"And that matters… _why_, exactly?"

Ember stiffened. "What are you saying?"

"There will always be casualties in a war," he said dismissively. "He's just the first of many."

"What? You'd said that it would only be those who fought us that would be killed," Ember said. Her foot was suddenly warm, and she shivered and repressed a sharp urge to throw up as she realized that it was Ty's warm lifeblood that had pooled and spread across the floor to soak her feet in the crimson ooze.

Herobrine let go of Ember's arms and began to pace around the room. "What does that matter? We know what we want. What we need. Ember, the people up there, they will never let you be at peace. _Normal_ people will hate you, will hurt you. Many of them will die, in order for us to cow the rest into submission to the way that things should be. You have to accept this, if you care about peace, about the chance for happiness. It's for the greater good, Ember."

"I know," Ember said, somewhat unsettled, "but I wish Ty didn't have to die." It _was_ for the best if the humans were taught their proper place. However, that didn't make it a pleasant task.

"That's foolish. He's nothing, Ember." His white eyes pierced hers for a moment, and then he blinked, breaking the contact. "I must go. Don't trouble yourself over the death of a human, or you're not the strong hybrid I know." Herobrine disappeared as quickly as he'd come.

Ember fell to her knees beside Ty. His breath still came, quick little ragged gasps that sent bubbles bursting in the open tattered wound of his throat. She knew that he only had a few more minutes of life, and grief and self-hatred flooded her. _All my fault_. "Ty," she pleaded. "Don't die."

There had to be a way to save him. Ember had never felt at all shaken in her convictions that _this was right_, that it would be best if she went through with Herobrine's plan. Now… Ty was dying on the floor, and Herobrine didn't care. Somehow, this felt wrong.

_Why did you do this?_ Ember asked Zariah, knowing that the sadness and anger that lay coiled like a steel snake inside her would be felt through the link, but not caring. _If you hate me, then hate me. But don't kill people over it._

Zariah ignored her.

_When I don't want an opinion, you give it. When I actually ask for a little damn help, you ignore me. Why do you have to be such a bitch?_

**_Shut up._**

"Fine," Ember muttered aloud. Ty gasped with a sound like a cat being strangled, and he struggled for air. "Damn it! Ty, what am I supposed to do?" Tears brimmed over her eyelids, shame at her helplessness, at her weakness.

And then an idea came to her. It was risky, and daring, and it probably wouldn't work. But it was an idea. That was enough to go on.

* * *

><p><strong>Dudududuh... cliffies! Yay! Thanks for reading! Sorry for taking so long to update...<strong>

**SOTC: Moments, by Tove Lo... (it's on replay in my head).**


	12. Understand (Sky)

Sky sat up and blinked. Whaaaa?

"I. Don't. Want to know," Jason said, speaking slowly and distinctly.

"What did I do?" Sky said nervously.

"You tried to eat my hand. Or maybe you were having a, shall we say, _lascivious_, dream."

Oh, that. Sky felt himself flush hotly as he remembered the gist of what had happened in his dream about Ember. He wasn't sure why she still haunted his dreams. Sky wished she didn't. "Umm… sorry?"

Jason huffed. "You're covered in drool," he brusquely informed Sky.

"Do not speak of this to anyone," Sky ordered him, rubbing at his mouth. "Shit. Sorry."

"No problem. And just out of curiosity, do you usually use that much tongue while kissing?"

"I was _licking_ your hand?" The pink tinge in Sky's face went to a deep crimson, and even darker as Jason answered.

"Yeah."

"Crap."

"Hey, did you see if Mitch is awake yet?" Jason asked, probably eager to change the subject.

Sky glanced across the hall. Mitch was still unconscious on the floor of his cell, right where he'd been left after Seto and Herobrine's tortures had been inflicted. "He's still out."

"Damn, when I get ahold of Herobrine—

"You'll what, exactly?" came the cool voice from down the hall. Aradyn/Rogue sauntered towards them, one platinum blonde eyebrow raised delicately. Jason seemed to lose the ability to talk for a moment, but he recovered quickly, suggesting something anatomically impossible as a punishment for Herobrine.

Aradyn stared at him, her lips twitching spasmodically, as though she were unsure whether to berate Jason or laugh. "That's not nice," she finally muttered.

"Yeah, well, what do I care?" Jason said with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. He leaned lazily against the bars. "It's not 'nice' to torture someone, but it's not like you have a problem with _that_."

"It's different."

"Enlighten me," Jason smirked.

"Oh, that's right. Ember didn't bring Ty here to talk to you yet, did she?"

"No," Sky said stiffly. He didn't want to think about Ember. But images from his dream rushed through his head, Ember, Ember touching him, Ember _kissing_ him. He couldn't not think about her. It was impossible.

"Well, you're in a good mood," Aradyn sniffed. "You and Em both. You guys act like someone's standing on your tails." Sky chose not to respond, but her statement made him wonder what was happening with Ember. Was it possible she missed him? No. It wasn't.

"By that comment, I'd guess that you're Aradyn right now?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, but that doesn't really make much of a difference. So do you want me to explain the reasons that it's different to torture you guys?"

"Why not?"

"Well, because it might make you freak out," Aradyn said, taking Jason's rhetorical question as an actual one.

"That's incredibly reassuring. Please continue," Jason sighed, running a hand through his messy brown hair.

"Oh, it was? I didn't mean it that way," Aradyn said, grinning at Jason's exasperated expression.

"Would you two stop flirting and just tell me what's going on?" Sky barked.

The pair of them flushed. Well, Jason did, while Aradyn just grew slightly less pale. With an air of wounded dignity, Jason turned to Sky. "I am _not_ flirting."

Aradyn blinked. "I am."

"What?" Sky and Jason both said, gaping at her.

The dragon girl doubled over in laughter. Sky stared at her, sure that he must still be dreaming. "Your… faces," Aradyn eventually choked, clawing her way to a standing position. She hiccupped and slowly regained her composure, still grinning. "I was messing with you, Jase."

"Oh… erm, okay. Good," he stammered. "That's… that's good. Very good. I mean, it's not that I don't like you, because I… crap, I'm rambling, aren't I?"

"Yes, yes you are," Sky told him. "Aradyn, just start talking."

"And don't think you'll be able to persuade me to say that torturing us is nice," Jason added.

"I never argued that it was nice, just that it's necessary."

"That too. It's unfair to the world to deprive it of pure awesomeness." Aradyn looked confused, and Jason groaned. "I mean me."

"Jase, you know you can't spell awesome without _me_, but I can spell it without _u_," she sneered.

His face brightened. "Nice," he grinned. Aradyn smirked at him, sitting down on the other side of the bars.

"You guys are totally flirting," Sky sighed, resting his forehead in his palm. He was just teasing Jason, of course, but it held a ring of truth. Especially since Jason turned bright red.

"Am not!"

"Are so!"

"Boys, boys, you are such total boys," Aradyn scoffed. "I would never flirt with a human."

"Hey, I'm cool," Jason said, mock-offended. And maybe just a tad offended.

"I'm _cold_," she reminded him. He froze as her fingertips brushed his arm. Well, he literally froze. Jason's skin was covered in a delicate filigree of frost, and his lips were a pale eggshell blue. Only the faint rise and fall of his chest showed that he was alive.

"What did you do to him?" Sky demanded, staring at Aradyn.

"I simply helped him to cool off." She tapped him, and the ice that was Jason chimed. The layer of freezing rime slowly melted away, and Jason blinked.

"Not fair," he complained. Aradyn poked him through the bars, and icy crystals erupted out of her finger.

"Not fair. Just me."

"Stop. The. Damn. Flirting. Explain your reasons, Aradyn, and tell us what Herobrine's plan is," Sky moaned impatiently.

"We are not flirting!" they both snarled.

"Yeah, seriously, why would I be flirting with a human? I am a dragon. I could eat him."

"And why would I crush on a super hot girl?"

"I don't care. I really don't," Sky ground out.

"Wait, did I say that out loud?" Jason gasped.

"Yes," Aradyn smiled. "So you want an explanation?"

"YES!" Sky roared. He was at his wit's end with the pair of them.

"No need for the hostility," Aradyn said, looking slightly startled by his outburst. "I'm your guard, anyway. I don't have to do anything I don't want to.

"JUST START TALKING."

"Fine!" Aradyn cleared her throat importantly. "So, basically, Herobrine wants to take over the overworld."

"That's not new," Jason sighed.

"Silence. Anyhow, he's doing it because he wants to create a world where beings like me can live in our rightful places—at the top. We're superior, you know."

Jason puffed out his chest. "Nonsense." Aradyn poked him in the ribs, and he yelped indignantly. Sky found it immensely entertaining to watch Jason keep getting one-upped by the hybrid girl.

"Yeah, right. We _are_ superior, but you humans don't want to accept it. You think we're monsters. That we're less than you." Aradyn's normally playful voice had hardened to a razor's edge. "Believe me, I know. Whatever. That doesn't matter. Anyway, the reason he wants you guys is to turn you into hybrids like us. You'll join us and help Herobrine take over." She sounded extremely confident about this.

"Umm, no," Jason said firmly.

Sky stared at Aradyn disbelievingly. They thought that he'd join Herobrine? That he'd willingly let a dragon into his head? "You want to turn us into something like Ember?"

"Not like Ember," Aradyn hissed, as though she were sucking on a slice of sour lemon. "Ember's not like us. She… Herobrine messed up when he mixed her with Zariah. She shouldn't have to deal with Z, but she does. Zariah isn't at all like me. Rogue and I are like best friends, but closer. Zariah and Ember are like sisters, in that they want to kill each other and constantly get on each other's nerves. Zariah and Ember are… they're a time bomb, and that sucks, 'cause Em's like my sister, in a good way. In that we care about each other and would do anything to protect each other." She sounded sad.

"We're not joining Herobrine," Jason told Aradyn.

Herobrine had messed up? How do you mess up something like creating a hybrid? "Hell, how would you even create a hybrid like you?" Sky wondered aloud.

"I can't. Only Ember and Herobrine can. Well, I can't without their help. But there's a really complicated spell and ritual thingy that they do. Basically, Ember can fuse your soul to a dragon's. It kills your human body and the dragon, but it creates a new creature. Your mind and the dragon's, in one body."

"So… you're dead?" Sky asked. "Ember is dead?" This was… very confusing. _Very_ confusing.

"Ember never existed. The human who became Ember is dead, yes, and the body I once wore is dead. But our minds are still intact, and my personality is alive."

"Here's some simple math. Jason's brain equals _kablooie_," Jason said. That pretty much summed it up.

"Eh, you'll get used to it. You'll understand once you join us." Aradyn dismissed their confusion with an airy wave of her hand. Snowflakes fell from the space that her hand passed through, creating a thin white carpet on the stone floor.

"Then I guess you'll just have to leave me hanging," Sky said icily.

There was a rushing noise, and a black circle appeared in the air. _Ember_. Ember stepped out of the portal as it slammed shut, her face and shirt soaked with blood. Red liquid stained her arms all the way to her elbows. What had happened? And why was she here? And why did she always have to make his mouth drop open like a limp puppet's?

"Aradyn, I need your help. Now." Her husky voice was low and urgent, and her purple eyes darted towards Sky uncertainly.

"Em, what—

"Not here. Not with them listening."

"Explain. Right now, Ember," Aradyn ordered.

"There's no ti—

"Tell me what's going on. I have to be prepared."

Ember took a deep breath, as though to argue, but let it out in a hiss of frustration. "It's Ty. Zariah… she… I attacked him. He's dying, but I have a plan."

"What? You promised you wouldn't hurt him!" Jason snarled. His normally laughing face was contorted with rage and fear for Ty.

"To hell with what I promised! Zariah's getting too strong! Ara, we need to hurry if we want to save him."

"What's the plan?"

"Just move, damn it! I need you to get Wisp! Have her find Eguire! Get him to come! We only have like five minutes!"

Sky felt a sick lump rise in his throat. Ember had attacked Ty. She… she must have tried to kill him. After what she'd promised… "What did you do to him?" he asked, staring at her bloody face. It was Ty's blood that was spattered all across her mouth and face, running in red rivulets down her neck.

"Nothing that concerns you," she spat, chest heaving as she glared at Aradyn, who stared back with a nonplussed expression. "Aradyn, come on!"

"I don't get the pl—

"Hang the freaking plan! Just go!" Ember snapped her fingers, and a new portal appeared, as inky black as the End skies. She grabbed Aradyn's hand and yanked her through.

The only sign that either of the girls had been there was the snow that crusted the hall floor, and the smears of blood. Ty's blood.

"What. The. F—

"Yup."

* * *

><p><strong>Hi guys! I'm so amazingly lazy that... well, no. I just have serious writer's block. It is not fun. I assure you.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong><em>Jason<em>****: Did I get censored?**

**_Me_****: No, you got strategically interrupted.**

**_Ty_****: WHAT IS EMBER THE INSANE PERSON GOING TO DO TO ME? WHY DO I HAVE TO DIE?**

**_Me_****: Because I already killed Jason and Mitch is comatose in a corner. And Sky is the main character. It says so in the summary. See? There's nothing about you in that.**

**_Sky_****: AS THE MAIN CHARACTER I DECLARE TY A MAIN CHARACTER ALSO!**

**_Me_****: WHAT IS WITH THE CAPS LOCK?**

**_Ty_****: Fourth wall has been completely, entirely smashed. Can I do the SOTC?**

**_Me_****: No. You're dying. **

**_Ty_****: Aw, f-**

**_Jason_****: STRATEGIC INTERRUPTION TIME!**

**_Sky_: And the SOTC is... "Firetruck" by Smosh!**

**_Me_: That wasn't it!**

**_Sky_: But you're censoring everyone!**

**_Me_: Firetruck!**


	13. Seth (Ember)

"What did you do to him?" Sky asked, his eyes huge behind his sunglasses.

Ember barely registered his question. All she knew was that she needed Aradyn to help her now, and that Sky was an unnecessary distraction. "Nothing that concerns you," she snapped, a little more waspishly than she'd intended. But there was no time to apologize, because Ty was dying. Ty was dying, because Ember had broken her promise, as Jason had just reminded her. "Aradyn, come on!" she ordered, feeling the panic start to rise in her heart, like a lead weight in her stomach.

Aradyn furrowed her brow in confusion, her pale nose wrinkling. "I don't get the pl—

The frustration that Ember was feeling broke. "Hang the freaking plan! Just go!" She snapped her fingers, creating a portal. Aradyn just stared blankly at her, still confused, so Ember grabbed her hand and yanked her through.

They appeared on the other side in Ember's bedroom. "Em… what happened?"

"No _time_, Ara! Can you find Wisp, and get her to bring Eguire?"

**_Your plan isn't going to work, you stupid little girl._**

_I don't see you supplying ideas._

**_That's right, because I prefer to watch you squirm._**

_You know, I didn't actually ask for a dose of bitchiness. You can clear out of my head right about now._

"Eguire? Why does Wisp need to bring a dragon?"

Ember groaned. "Because… you know what, I can't explain. Ty is dying on the floor, and I need to prepare. Just… just trust me. Please, Ara."

"I do trust you, Em," Aradyn said softly. "You're my sista. But what do you need to prepare?"

"I think… I might be able to save him by having him join with a dragon." It was the only possible way to help Ty, the only way to heal his wound. "When it creates the new body, I think... I think it'll be healed."

"Hybridize him?"

"Em's right," Rose said loudly, swaggering into the room. Her gum popped loudly, and she examined her red talons critically. "It'll probably keep the human alive. And I already woke up Wisp when I heard you screaming. We can go get Eg."

"Rose, you're a life saver, and I mean that quite literally," Aradyn sighed gratefully. Ember stared at Rose. How, how did she always manage to be there when Ember needed her most?

"Oh yeah, and don't you know it? And because I'm so awesome, I also woke up Seto, and he managed to put headphone boy under a spell or something. I don't really get the magic shit that he did, but the human is no longer spraying blood as fast as he was. Of course, now Seto's staggering all over the place because of the energy drain of that stuff, but hey, small problem."

"Dude…" Aradyn whistled. Oh, wow. This changed everything. Instead of a wild hope, Ember now had at least some straws to grasp at. Maybe… Maybe she _could_ save Ty.

"I can't help my amazingness. Anyway, why are you guys standing around? Get to work! I'll get Wisp, she'll get Eguire, and we can do this shit! Let's turn the human into something that could theoretically approach my awesomeness!"

It sounded like a plan. "Let's go," Ember decided. She darted out of the room, jumping over Seto, who was asleep on the hall floor, and through the door that led to Ty.

Ty was lying in a deep, wide pool of his own blood. His eyes were closed, and Ember guessed that he had fainted from the blood loss. His eyelashes fluttered weakly as she sat beside him, trying to collect her thoughts. She knew the steps to perform the spell. And she remembered enough about when Herobrine had fused her soul to Zariah's to shudder at the thought of doing that to someone else.

Ember _remembered_.

_The tall, thin man with the glowing eyes held her still. "No, you can't run."_

_"But I'm scared!" the little girl wailed. Her blue eyes were huge, the size of saucers in her pale face. Her wispy black hair blew in a tornado. "What if the dragon doesn't like me?"_

_"Listen to me," the man, Herobrine, ordered. "This is about more than you. Emma, you're becoming something special. You'll be able to help people. You'd have been able to save your brother if you were more powerful."_

_The six-year-old Ember's eyes filled with tears. "I- I'll do it. But…"_

_"Yes, Emma?" Herobrine asked, his eyes compassionate. _

_"Will it hurt?"_

_The man hesitated, and the little girl was wise enough to the ways of the world to know that a hesitation meant an unpleasant truth. "Just a little pinch," he lied. Little did the girl know that it would be more like being torn apart. And then she'd die._

She felt sweat soak her skin and bead out across her forehead. It was no good to think about that. And it hurt, to think of her brother. Seth had always been kind to her. While he'd been alive, Ember had never understood why everyone feared him. Herobrine had explained that it was because the humans had thought Seth was a monster, due to his cleft lip. That's why they'd burnt the house down, with him inside. Him and Ember's parents.

Seth… she missed him so much. He had been her favorite person. Seth had been her best friend and the person she wanted to be just like. Whenever she'd gotten home from school, crying because of the teasing she endured as his little sister, Seth, who hadn't been allowed to go because of his deformity, would cheer her up. He had been like a monkey, climbing the shelves of the pantry to steal the chocolate their parents kept 'out of reach.' His cleft lip made it harder for him to talk, so he invented 'Emeth,' the secret sign language that they shared. Every day they would invent new signs, new ways to cause trouble.

Ember's throat felt tight from just thinking about Seth. He'd be twenty now, if the humans hadn't murdered him. If they hadn't decided that he was a monster for being different. Her hands tightened into fists at her side. But no, Seth had told her to never take her problems out on other people. 'They have enough of their own, Emma,' he'd told her. Emma. That had been her name.

"Umm, Em? Are you okay?" Wispice asked, gingerly poking Ember's shoulder.

"What? Oh, yeah. I'm fine," she said. "Did you get Eguire?"

"Yup. Erm, is Ty going to live?"

"No time for stupid questions, Wisp," Ember said, trying for a smile. It came out weak and strained.

"It's just… that's a lot of blood," the short blonde girl mumbled.

"He'll live," Ember reassured her, sounding far more confident than she was. Wispice blinked, unsure.

"I guess." There was a pause. "Em, you'd tell me if he wasn't going to, right?"

"Yeah," Ember said, with no telltale hesitation before the lie. She _wouldn't_ tell Wispice if Ty was certain to die, because Wisp would only get upset. And she wouldn't let that happen. "We don't have much time, though. Can you help me carry him?"

"He's all bloody," Wispice protested. "Seriously, I'm trying not to barf." Wisp was, indeed, looking a little green.

Ty drew a rasping, shuddering breath, bubbles of blood bursting in his throat. That seemed to be the last straw for Wispice. She turned an interesting shade of white, and Ember recognized the warning signs. "Wisp… why don't you step outside?"

She nodded and fled the room, leaving Ember alone. Ty's chest rose and fell shakily. Would he be okay if she moved him?

No. He wasn't okay even now. Steeling herself, Ember picked up Ty as gently as she could. Blood coated her arms as she carried the thin boy out into the hall. Ty had only lived thus long because of the way Ember had bitten him. She guessed that she must have missed the carotid artery, and only scraped his jugular. Seto's intervention had bought Ty a few more minutes before he would die of blood loss.

He moaned weakly, the air moving through his throat with a sound like a plastic bag crackling. Blood was oozing around the edges of his torn skin. Ty's sightless eyes fluttered open. "Who…?" he rasped feebly.

"Shh, Ty, you'll only make it worse," Ember pleaded, feeling an immense surge of relief fill her at his awakening. There was life in him yet.

"Doesn't… matter," he choked.

"No, it _does_ matter, because I'm going to save you."

* * *

><p><strong>I'm just going to throw out a wild guess and say Ty ain't gonna be so psyched about Ember's brilliant plan. Isinglalayousinglala, you got it right! Thanks for reading, and leave a review please! <strong>

**SOTC: Take Me Away, by Avril Lavigne**


	14. Slipping (Ty)

"No, it _does_ matter, because I'm going to save you," Ember told him.

Ty didn't answer her. How could she make that promise? Ty knew as well as she did that he was dying. He inhaled, feeling as though his lungs were two useless wet socks. They burned as he fought for air. Every breath was a struggle, burning in his throat, and traveling down to burn in his lungs. His head ached, the lack of oxygen making his thoughts run slow and sluggish. It hurt so much to try to stay alive, to try to live.

And yet, Ty couldn't give up. It was _impossible_ to make himself just surrender to the inevitable. His body wouldn't let him let go. It was driving him _freaking insane_, the combination of the agony and the frustration of being unable to die. It was unavoidable, so why couldn't he just get a swift end to this excruciating pain? Why couldn't he die and get it over with?

He felt a cold breeze ruffle his hair and shivered. The air was cool, though, and that soothed his flaming lungs somewhat. To some degree, it numbed a bit of the pain that wracked his body. It felt good. But Ty still wished he could die sooner rather than later.

Ty flinched as he felt hard, icy rock underneath his back. Ember had set him down on the stone surface of the End. _It's okay,_ his mind said tiredly. _This is a good place to die_. He felt his body finally begin to succumb to the painless ecstasy of death.

And then he was being shaken by a cold hand. Was it death? Nope. "Stay awake," Ember ordered. "Stay awake, you idiot."

_But I don't want to!_ Ty thought plaintively. She couldn't hear him, of course.

"Em, is he… is he alive?" That was Wispice.

"Only just." Ember sighed. "Ty, stay alive. Please. I didn't want to hurt you! I can't… I can't live with myself if I've killed you," she whispered. "I'm not a murderer."

"That's right. You'd be a murderess," said another voice, this one boisterous and sassy.

"I don't think you're helping, Rose," Aradyn said. What were they all doing here?

There was a low rumbling sound. It sent vibrations through the stone, pulsing through Ty. The ground shook as something very heavy and very alive approached. What was going on?

"Alright. Aradyn, Wisp, Rose, especially Wisp, you guys should probably leave now."

"I—

"Blood, Wispice. _Lots_ of blood."

"Okay," Wispice squeaked. There was a patter of footsteps as she scampered away. Blood? Lots of blood? What was Ember planning?

"If there's blood, I'm staying," Rose volunteered.

"Fine. Ara, you go take care of Wisp. If this goes wrong she's going to flip out," Ember warned.

"Umm… okay," Aradyn agreed. Ty could hear her footfalls as she raced after Wispice.

Ember sighed softly, and he felt her hand on his shoulder. "Ty, I won't lie. This is going to hurt a lot. But it might save your life."

"Don't…" Ty tried to tell her. _LET ME DIE! _His throat felt as though it were being re-ripped with every breath he took, making speaking almost unbearable.

She ignored him. "Eguire!" Ember called.

The rumbling hum resonated again.

"Alright. I'll get this over with," Ember decided. There was a hiss as something metallic was unsheathed. The cold tip of a knife rested just above Ty's collarbone, slightly below where the bite was.

"_Nkaya nko cama_," she almost purred, slicing Ty's skin open. He tried to suppress a howl as blood sprayed out of his severed artery. "_Eguire cama_." The knife moved away, and Ty felt his hand spasm involuntarily as he felt his lifeblood draining away. At least this would be faster.

He felt something warm and wet rub across his bleeding neck, tentatively at first and then eagerly. It was the raspy, catlike tongue of something, and it was drinking his blood, lapping it up like a toddler with an ice cream cone. Ty tried to pull away from whatever this was, but a heavy claw rested on his stomach, holding him down, trapping him. He gave up the futile fight, knowing that he stood no chance against this monster.

"_Comple nkaya, Eguire,_" Ember said, in that strange language. The tongue stopped licking his neck, though the paw remained, pinning Ty lightly against the ground. "_Sahl sitro moys votris._"

There was a low hiss, and then suddenly a loud roar. The monster's claw whipped off of his chest. Hot drops of liquid spattered Ty, burning almost like acid. Ember's hand brushed onto Ty's lips, and he felt the liquid there as it slid into his mouth. It tasted like he imagined fire might. It was horribly bitter and spicy, and he swallowed several times to try to get rid of the flavor, feeling the strain on his torn throat as he did so.

For a moment, he sensed the bleeding stop, felt the pain abate. Then it came surging back, worse than ever. There was only one solution. Ty pressed his mouth to Ember's hand, trying to collect as much of the life-giving liquid as possible. "_Cama,_" she ordered. The fluid dripped faster, and Ember guided Ty's lips towards the main place that the drops were pooling. He gulped the acidic substance as fast as he could, drinking it in.

The pain in his neck faded away, and for a moment, Ty felt as though he were floating. It was amazing, the cessation of the pain. He'd never imagined the absence of something could be so blissful. Ty reveled in the sensation of nothing.

That made the agony all the worse when it returned. It tore through him, a hundred times more painful than before. He knew he was screaming, but couldn't hear anything. The creature that had drunk his blood roared also, a thunderous sound that stifled all other noises. Ty felt oddly weak and horribly helpless.

He felt the knife's blade at his abdomen and flinched, knowing what was coming. Ember said a few words as she pressed the knife into Ty's torso just below his ribcage, but he couldn't hear them over the panicked rush of blood in his ears.

Ty knew he should be dead. He wished he were dead. He wanted little more than to be dead, because this hurt _so much_. How could he bleed this long, suffer this long? It shouldn't be possible. Ty felt tears running down his bloodstained face and into his mouth, the salty taste mixing with the copper flavor of the blood that threatened to choke him.

Ember twisted the knife and cut a slit from Ty's sternum down to just past his navel, making him want to scream with pain. _Why can't I die?_ Ember took a deep, shuddering breath. "_Nei sitro._" She slid the knife out of the wound, and her cold hands connected with the sides of the gore-smeared incision.

Her fingers wrapped under the flaps of skin, so that they were _inside_ Ty's abdominal cavity. And then she pulled, ripping through the muscle and exposing Ty's internal organs. The only thing he could sense was pain, red stars floating through his mind on a background

Ty started to fade into unconsciousness. At last. Anything to escape this torture would be welcome. Why was Ember doing this to him? It was misery, pure and simple. Death couldn't possibly hurt this much.

* * *

><p><strong>So... who is the most reliable person for updates? Me! Me! Me!<strong>

**I'm very sorry about the delay, I just haven't been able to get to my zone lately, and I'm with a serious lack of inspiration for this story. I'm pretty much running on empty at this point, since I have three other stories I want to be writing, plus I'm doing channel art for a potential YouTube channel... and, you know, bunnies. BUNNIES! BLAH!**

**SOTC: "Out Alive" by Ke$ha**


	15. The Other Guy (Ty)

Ty suddenly felt very cold as Ember continued to do… whatever she was doing. He didn't care anymore, didn't want to think about anything. He _couldn't _think of anything, except for the pain. Nothing registered but pure agony.

There was an awful tearing sensation, and then there was no more sensation. Ty didn't remember much after Ember tore his heart out. To be more precise, he didn't remember anything. He was dead.

* * *

><p>But then why was he waking up? Ty knew that he should be dead. He knew he was dead. But he could feel something soft wrapped around him, feel the cool air rush into his lungs as he breathed. Ty started to sit up, but decided not to. He was so heavy, and so tired…<p>

"You're awake." The voice was somehow familiar.

_Purple. Pain. Jasmine. Enemy. Traitor. Friend. Fish. Dragon. Pretty. Fire. Tent. Torture. Pain. Coward. Purple. Purple eyes, purple hair. Pale. Very pale. Pain. She. Girl. She hurt me. She's here. She saved me. I'm alive. Purple. Lots of purple. Beautiful. Friend. Enemy. Liar. Traitor. Protector. Jasmine. Smells good._

Ty clapped a hand to his forehead with a sharp cry. The memories and fragmented thoughts subsided somewhat, but they were still there, still painfully tearing at his head.

"It's okay. Those thoughts will stop eventually." That voice again!

_Dragon. Traitor. Troll. Ally. Purple. Pain. Hurt me. Saved my life. _Those thoughts were all familiar, as though he'd forgotten them. But the next thoughts were different, alien images and sensations rather than the somewhat understandable words.

**_A soft pat on his shoulder. A laugh. The scent of blood and a delicious taste. The warmth of friendship. Wind under his wings. A sharp searing feeling, followed by comfort. Pain. An unbearable sense of pity. _**

_What's happening?_ Ty tried to scream, but he couldn't figure out how to say what he meant, and all that came out was a weak whine.

Slowly, a sense of calmness reached out to him. **_Safety. Warmth._**

"It's okay," the voice repeated. _Purple. Jasmine. Pale skin. Em… Ember!_ What was Ember doing here? "You're getting a lot of thoughts about me. I know. I've been there before. Just relax." Her soft hand touched his arm, igniting a new wave of memories. Every time that he'd ever been touched surged through his mind. Ty felt drained, and his head throbbed sharply, making him want to scream.

"Is he alright?" A new voice.

_Green. Soup. Short. Friendly. Kind. Dragon. Took care of me. Tortured me with soup. _Ty didn't quite understand that soup part, but he knew it had happened. _Small. Sweet. Pretty. Freckles. Green._

**_The scent of flowers, with the pungent tang of spearmint. Warm friendship. A sense of protectiveness. The sound of thunder in his ears. A tingle running across his scales. A small, warm body snuggled against him. Sudden pain in his tail and laughter. _**Those strange memories, so painful as they swam through his fevered-feeling brain!

"Wisp, get out! He's still trying to adjust," Ember hissed.

"Fine! Sorry! Sorry!" the other voice—it was female also—squeaked. A door slammed shut, and Ty screamed in pain at the sudden noise, at the sudden thoughts it triggered. _Nerf wars. Running. Hiding. Laughing. Friends. _And others. _Anger. Fear. Pain. Lonely. Sadness. Miserable. So lonely._

"Just—oh, damn, what is it now? Seto, what do you want?"

"I was going to check on him," said a new voice.

_Friend. Traitor. Purple. Brown eyes. Brunette. Traitor. Sadistic. Attacked my friends. Cruel. Ambitious. Magical. Dangerous. Pity. Purple. Used to be a friend. But a traitor._ Ty felt a growl rise in his throat as he sensed danger. _Sorcerer… Seto… Seto is dangerous._

"Seto, get _out_," Ember snarled. She sounded like a dragon. But then, she was part dragon. It was enough to intimidate Ty.

"Okay," Seto mumbled. The traitor was leaving. Good. The door closed a second time.

"Can you talk?" Ember asked. That was an interesting question. Ty tried to make any words come out. _I can talk._ But those words were caught in his mouth. His mind and lips couldn't cooperate to get the sounds out. He hissed in frustration.

"What, cat got your tongue? I know it's hard, but you have to try."

Try. **_Jumping into the air for the first time. _**_When I learned how to swing a sword. **Diving down at a helpless prey animal. **When I look for the best route in a parkour map. **Chasing my sister. **_The thoughts came into his mind unbidden. He had a sister? No, he didn't. Right?

"You should get to sleep. This gets easier, I promise," Ember finally sighed. Something soft was wrapped around Ty's shoulders. _Warm. Kindness. Safe. **Tucking his head under his wing to keep out the chill. Curling his tail over his nose. **Relaxing. **The smell of cinnamon, warm and delicious. **So warm. So tired._

**_Go to sleep_**, a soft voice seemed to whisper in his ear.

_Oh no._

* * *

><p><strong>So, yeah, sorry about my amazing ability to update. Crazy shtuff has been happening (competitive chess!), and I haven't been able to find a real reason to write. I've found that my interest in this universe has been fading, as I come up with more story ideas. I have two main ideas that I really want to write, and time to work on maybe one, if I were to abandon this story. I don't think it'll come to that, though. <strong>

**SOTC: "Wide Awake" by Katy Perry**


	16. An Interlude (Shtuff)

"So when do you think they'll be back?" Jerome asked, flopping, for once uncontested, in the chair.

"They've been gone almost a week. They could get back any time," Ian reassured him.

"Oh, shit! You mean they could come back while I'm showering?" Bonks gasped.

"I'm sure we'd have some sort of warning," Ian soothed.

"I'm home!" called a very familiar voice.

"Mi—err, hi, Husky!" Jerome stammered.

"Hey guys," Husky said, walking into the room. "Any news?"

"Nope." There was a silence, during which Ian contemplated his shoelaces.

"This sucks," Bonks finally growled. "C'mon, we would have heard from them by now!"

"I agree on the issue of this sucking," Ian muttered. "But what are we going to do about it?"

"Go after them."

"What? We don't even know where they are," Husky sighed. "If we knew…"

"They're at the Ender Stronghold, aren't they?" Jerome asked.

"But the caverns are in the way."

"Yeah, I guess so, but do we really have a choice?" Bonks wondered aloud. "Sky and Ty and Mitch and even Ember are our friends. We already are missing Seto, and… and Jason's dead. We can't lose anyone else."

Ian nodded. It was already bad enough, without half of the Team missing. But… "There's no need to flip out yet, guys and girl. We'll wait it out. They'll come back soon."

"How soon is soon?" Jerome asked.

Bonks beat Ian to answering. "Three days," she said firmly. "If they aren't back in three days, we're going after them."

"I agree," Husky decided.

"Me two, or three, or whatever the hell," Jerome declared.

"Fine," Ian said.

Three days.

* * *

><p><strong>Aaahhh. Beautiful chapter of shortness. I'm not really even calling this a chapter. More like shtuff. Yes. It is shtuff. Because brain. Yayayayay life is happening. A lot of craziness has been going down, but hopefully I'll have more time to write soon. Competitive chess, and chess lessons, and nationals coming soon, along with acting, building a special FX portfolio, songwriting, starting a YouTube account, and working on an EP. I am busy!<strong>

**Anywho, enough of my drama. I am hoping to finish this story soon, so I can start some new stories. I'll have time to do a lot of oneshots, so give me some prompts in the comments please! Yay! I have time to work on prompted oneshots, so... yay! I say yay a lot! Wahoo! *brain explodes***


	17. Soup, the Sequel (Ember)

The boy's head fell back against the pillow as he sighed. Ember didn't know what to think of him anymore. He wasn't Ty. That much was certain. Just as she was no longer Emma, but Ember, Ty would no longer be Ty. Ember wondered who he would be once he regained the power of speech.

She'd blindfolded him, to keep his newly enhanced senses from overloading. Ember remembered when she'd come to, right after fusing with Zariah. She'd woken up on a cold stone floor, and felt a rush of alien memories. The pain had been incredible, and she couldn't escape from the flood as she smelled, heard, and saw the world in a whole new way.

And then she'd seen herself, seen her wings, her scales, her _tail_. Instantly she'd known she was a monster. Ember could see the boy's—she decided to just call him Ty—wings over the edge of the blanket she'd wrapped over his shoulders. They were a brilliant shade of green, almost the exact color of his headphones, which lay on the nearby shelf.

"Well? Can I come in?" Seto asked, peering around the door. So he was feeling better. That was good. Ember was glad to see him.

"Sure. Sorry for bitching at you," she said, making room for him at the foot of Ty's bed, which she was currently perched on.

"You weren't bitc—okay, you were bitching, but it's alright," the sorcerer grinned, sitting beside her. "So… you attacked him?"

"Zariah did," Ember replied, somewhat defensively.

"She's getting stronger."

"I noticed," Ember agreed. Seto threw his hands up.

"Sorry. Of course you would." He paused. "Z's getting pretty dangerous."

"Obvious much?"

"Sarcastic much?"

Ember sighed. "You sass like a girl."

"With the girls I know, that's a compliment."

"I know."

"Then thanks." Seto smiled crookedly, his mussed brown hair sticking straight up in a cowlick on the back of his head. Ember suppressed the urge to smooth it out. "So… do you know how to stop Z from taking over?"

She bit her lip. "If I did, would she take over?"

"Fair enough." There was another pause. "Is there any way that you can escape Zariah, become yourself again?"

"No. It's irreversible."

Seto stared at her. "So you just stuck some random dragon in Ty's head forever, when you knew he hated that very idea?"

"Well, when you put it that way…"

"Holy shit, Em."

"I didn't have a choice!" she snarled, suddenly angry. "I couldn't do anything else, or he would have died. Can't you see that, Seto? There was no other option."

He was silent for a long time. "He'd rather have died, Em, rather have died than become a monster," Seto finally said.

Ember felt his words cut like daggers. "Is that all I am? A monster?"

Seto looked horrified. "I didn't mean—

Her throat felt tight. "You know what you mean."

"Ember—" Seto reached for her arm, but she stood up, breathing hard.

**_You are a monster, you know._**

_Shut up, Z._

**_Monster. Coward. Liar. Traitor. How long before you kill someone?_**

_I said shut up._

Zariah laughed harshly. **_Since when do I listen to you, bitch?_**

"Shut UP!" Ember growled, her hands clenched into fists.

Seto stood up beside her. "Ember, you're overreacting! Just let me explain!"

**_Kill him_**_,_ Zariah purred.

"Both of you!" Ember hissed. "Get out!" She felt purple clouding her vision, and a painful throbbing started in her head. Talons burst out of her fingertips, and her wings erupted from her back with a tearing, agonizing sensation. She wanted to kill something. Or someone.

Suddenly, hands clamped around her wrists. "No, Ember," Seto ordered. "Stay in control."

**"Let me go!" **

"What, so you can tear my face off? I don't think so." His nails dug into her wrist sharply, and Ember flinched, trying to pull away.

**"I will destroy you!" **How dare this human restrain her?

A sudden tingle ran up Ember's arm, and she yelped. "You aren't a fan of electricity, are you, Zariah?"

Ember chose not to respond, but felt her throat heating up from the fire that was inside her. She wanted to burn him and everything around him. **"Die now, human weakling!"** she roared.

"Umm, no," Seto demurred. "Sorry about this, Em."

Ember collapsed with a howl of pain as electricity flooded through her. **"Ah—**what—**I will—**Seto—aaaaahhhh!" Ember cried out, falling to the floor. Seto let go of her and knelt down beside her.

"Oh, crap, I'm so sorry, Ember!" He pulled her upright, and she fell against his chest. What had just happened? She… Zariah!

"Seto… oh no, what did I do?" she moaned miserably.

His hand stroked her hair as she pressed against him. "It's okay. Zariah didn't hurt anyone."

Ember stared at him. "What?"

Seto continued to run his fingers through her hair, combing slowly through the many tangles that he found. "She didn't do anything."

"How did you stop Zariah?"

**_By electrifying you._**

"By electrifying you," Seto admitted sheepishly. "She doesn't like lightning. You're a little scorched," he pointed out. Ember glanced down at the burns that crisscrossed her skin. Come to think of it, they hurt. A lot.

"Oh," was all she could say.

"I'm sorry," Seto pleaded, his chocolate eyes meeting her ice blue ones. "I didn't know what to do."

Ember nodded. He'd stopped Zariah by… zapping Ember? It wasn't fun, but at least no one had died.

"Do you want me to carry you to your room?" Seto continued.

"I can walk," she protested as he lifted her up without waiting for an answer.

"Oh, really? Want to test that theory?" he smirked as Ember wriggled free and tried to stand up. She promptly collapsed, her legs spasming and weak like jell-o. "Yeah, didn't think so."

"How can you go from sympathetic to total ass in a matter of seconds?" she grumbled as the skinny sorcerer grinned at her.

"Magic," he laughed, waving his hands. "How are you so light?" Seto picked up Ember easily, carrying her through the halls.

"Because my bones are hollow," she explained as he helped her over to her bed. "It's really annoying sometimes, since it lets scrawny guys toss me around."

"I did not _toss_ you," Seto complained. "Do you need anything?" He stood beside her, his face innocent and concerned.

"Now you're starting to sound like Wisp," she teased.

"Don't give me any ideas. Soup!" he shouted.

"Soup," Ember echoed, rolling over and wrapping her blanket around her shoulders.

**_I'm hungry._**

_Go to sleep._

**_Go to hell._**

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! Chapter! Celestia, I must agree with you. Yay is contagious. It's rubbing off. It's a problem. It's too much fun to stop. Yay! Yay! Yay! Yay!<strong>

**SOTC: I don't know if anyone cares about this. I really don't. Oh well. Let's see. How about Waking Up In Vegas, by Katy Perry?**

**Sky: **Shut up, and get me outtta this cage now! That's what you get for waking up in the End!

**Jason: **Get up, and write another chapter! That's what you get for not writing 'bout us sooner!

**Me: **Erm, no. I'm tired. Surely you guys can't think of a parody to Happy?

**Jason: **Because I'm sassy!

**Sky: **Snark along, if you feel like that's what you want to do!

**Jason: ***in falsetto* Sassy, sassy, sassy, sassy...

**Me: **Shut the firetruck up!

**Bye! Until later, when I write more, and add possible #Jadyn... Orchid, you might know what that is... Yay!**


	18. Cheesy (Sky)

"I want out!" Jason finally shouted, smashing his fist against the wall. Sky glanced at him tiredly. Jason had been pacing the cell for hours, so long that the dust was scuffed out of the way of his path. It was as though he were trying to wear a hole in the floor.

"Just relax," he advised. "Pacing's not going to get us an escape."

"I can't relax! We're captives of Herobrine, trapped in the freaking End, Ember's a traitor, Seto's a traitor and probably insane, Mitch is really, really hurt, and Ty… what's happening to Ty?" Jason said, his voice rising into a question on the last phrase.

Sky went silent for a moment. "I—I don't know. But murdering the wall won't help."

Jason glared at him, then sighed. "Fair enough." He slumped down on the ground beside Sky. "Do we know anything that _will_ help?"

"Not really."

"Great. Just great."

"Yep."

"Mmhmm." Jason was quiet for so long that Sky had nearly forgotten he existed by the time his stomach growled loudly.

"What was that?" Sky said, looking around.

Jason flushed. "I don't think it was _that_ loud." It had actually been an extraordinarily loud stomach rumble. Sky suddenly realized how tired Jason looked, his face drawn and gaunt.

"How often do they feed you?" he asked.

There was a pause. "I've eaten maybe four times since I got here," he finally sighed.

"And… you've been here about a week, right?"

"A little more."

"Wow," Sky said softly. "So they're practically starving us."

"Yep." Jason stretched, glancing at Sky. "And I'm getting really hungry."

"Me too."

"What sort of food are you thinking about?"

"That's not going to make this any easier," Sky warned.

"Sorry, but I can literally not think about anything but food," Jason smiled. "So what food?"

"I don't know why, but I want cheese cookies," he sighed.

"Excuse me, what the hell?" Jason said, gaping at him.

"I _said_ I don't know. I just think they'd be like cheesecake, except cookie. Sweet and creamy."

"Cookies aren't creamy, though." Jason was being annoyingly logical.

"_Cheese_ cookies are an entirely unexplored medium!"

"Just… just no."

"What do you want, then?" Sky challenged.

"Food. I'm not feeling choosy at the moment."

"So you'd eat a cheese cookie?" he grinned. Jason looked disgusted.

"I didn't say tasteless."

"Don't judge the cookies!"

"I know it would be awful, Sky!"

"The cookies are feeling judged!"

"Umm…"

"Don't offend the cookies and their cheesiness!"

"I don't even want to know," Jason sighed, resting his head in his hands. "I just don't."

"Yeah, probably for the best."

A gust of wind flooded through the halls, and Sky shivered. It was suddenly very cold as Aradyn walked towards them. Jason glanced at her quickly, then dropped his gaze, appearing to be exceptionally interested in the floor. That is, except for the brilliant scarlet blush that had spread over the tips of his ears.

"Hey, Jase," Aradyn called.

"Hi, Aradyn," he replied, somewhat casually, although his voice was almost two octaves higher than usual. "What are you doing here?"

"You are totally crushing on her," Sky hissed out of the corner of his mouth.

"Shut up," Jason hissed back.

"I was just coming to check on you, and I wanted to fill you in on what's going on with Ty," Aradyn answered, sitting down on the other side of the cell bars.

"Well, get on with it!" Sky groaned.

"Fine. So Ty… well, Ty kind of got his throat torn apart by Ember."

"What?" Jason shouted.

"He's… dead?" Sky said. _Oh no. Please no._

"Will you let me finish? He isn't dead, because she healed him. Sort of."

"Finish! Enough with the dramatic pauses!" Sky snarled.

"Stop interrupting, Sky," Jason intervened. "What happened, Aradyn?"

"Traitor," he mouthed at Jason, who only shrugged.

"So, you remember what I told you about the ritual and stuff? Well, Ember did that, and Ty has a new, not-throat-torn body. So, good."

"Good? Ty is fused with a _dragon_? This is _not_ good, Ara!" Jason moaned.

"But he's alive! And he's special now. Can't you see? He'll be more powerful than he could ever have been before this. Ty is one of us, one of the future rulers of the world, of the _universe_. It's very good, at least for him."

Sky stared at her. "He's got _something else_ in his _head_. Ty has a voice in his head. In what universe is that good?"

Aradyn glared at him. "In the universe that we will create."

Jason's stomach growled again, louder than ever, and Aradyn turned her glare to him. "What?" he said, slightly defensive.

"Hungry, Jase?" Aradyn teased.

"You _know_ I am. You haven't let me eat for at least two days."

"Yeah, I guess so. But you should be fine."

"What?" Sky asked. Fooooooddd…

"I can go two _weeks_," she said, tossing her blonde hair.

"But I'm a human," Jason whined. Aradyn grinned triumphantly.

"You're a human. You're weaker than me."

"Well—

Aradyn stuck her tongue out. "I win!"

"There wasn't a contest!" he protested.

"But I still win!" Jason glowered at her. "You're so cute when you get all pouty, Jase," Aradyn remarked.

"Shut up," he said, though he looked pleased.

"That's not the way you're supposed to act if you want food," Aradyn remonstrated.

"What do I need to do to get food?" Sky half moaned, half pleaded.

"Hmm…" An evil grin was starting spread across the dragon girl's face.

_Crack._ Seto appeared with a bang, falling out of a purple rift in the air. "Ow. Damn it. Ara, does Em know how to keep me from appearing high in the air?"

**I don't know where my sanity is. Probably on vacation. The cheese cookies were inspired by Sky's latest crazy tweet storm. Oh dear object of fangirly worship, DO YOU KNOW THAT THERE ACTUALLY IS SUCH A THING AS A CHEESE COOKIE? DIDJA? DIDJA? Hahahahahaha, at least I'm saner than Crazy Evil Seto. As the next chapter will prove. **

**SOTC: "Put Your Hearts Up" by Ariana Grande**


	19. Him (Sky)

"Ow. Damn it. Ara, does Em know how to keep me from appearing high in the air?"

"She teleported you here?" Aradyn asked.

"Nah, I was messing with a spell, and since it's for teleporting, I thought she might have a few ideas."

"Ember might, I don't know. What are you doing here?"

"Well, I need to talk to Sky and Jason, and then…" Seto's voice trailed off and he glanced at Mitch's unconscious body.

"What do you want?" Sky asked, surprising them both with the menace in his voice.

"I—

"Seto, what do you want with them?" Aradyn asked. He was startled to hear a note of genuine concern in her voice.

"He's probably here to torture me again, isn't that right, Seto?" Jason spat.

Aradyn stared at Seto, who looked at his feet. She locked shocked by Jason's accusation, her eyes huge and face even paler than usual. "S-Seto? You've tortured them?"

He didn't answer.

"Seto?" Aradyn asked again. "You didn't!"

"Ara, I had to! Ember didn't tell you?"

"She knew?"

"Well, I think she guessed…"

"I thought it was only H-Herobrine!" Aradyn looked to be on the verge of hysterics. "I thought you were… I thought you wouldn't!"

"I had no choice, Aradyn!" Seto roared. In a much smaller voice, he whispered, "Herobrine tortured me. He tortured me. I couldn't… I had to… he tortured me. He tortured me!"

"Seto…"

"He tortured me. I couldn't… I can't stand it! I can't stand it! It hurts… it hurts!" Seto covered his face and fell to the ground. "He tortured me… Ah! It hurts! Why are you doing this to me?" he screamed, staring at a point in space.

"Seto…" Aradyn repeated, an edge of worry starting to creep into her voice.

"Answer me! Why are you doing this? It hurts so much! I'll do anything!" He turned to face Sky and Jason, though he didn't meet any of their eyes. Sky recoiled at the sight of him.

Seto's eyes were normally a warm chocolaty brown, but now… Now his pupils were swollen, huge in his thin face and rimmed by a sick white. He gasped for air, sweat standing out on his forehead. Seto's hands clenched, and a muscle near his eye was twitching. The sorcerer looked quite deranged, to say the least.

"Anything!" he wailed, falling to the floor and wringing his hands. "Please, stop… the pain! It hurts! He tortured me… he's torturing me!"

"Seto, he's not here!" Sky shouted. He was pretty pissed at Seto for his betrayal, but… he hated seeing his old friend this way, in so much obvious pain.

"The pain… I… I can't… I can't take it!"

"Damn it," Aradyn cursed. "Jase, Sky, you guys keep him calm, okay?"

"Ara… what do we do?" Jason asked.

"I'm going to get Ember. She can teleport him out of here."

"Can't you?" Sky said, almost pleading. He didn't want to be left alone with the terrified boy who was collapsed on the floor, crying and rocking back and forth.

Aradyn shook her head. "She's the only one with those powers, except Seto and Herobrine. And, well, right now I don't think either of them is a good option."

"I'll do anything!" Seto sobbed. "Anything, if you make this stop! It hurts!"

"Let me out, Ara, and I'll try to get Seto a bit more sane," Jason decided. He looked very pale, Sky noticed.

"Yeah, right," she snorted.

"Aradyn, I can't help him like this! Let me out, and I swear I won't resist when you put me back."

"I don't believe you."

"He's a friend, don't you understand? I want to take care of my _friend_," he pleaded.

Aradyn stared at Jason for what seemed like an eternity. Slowly, she began to shake her head. "I—

"Please, Aradyn. Trust me. It's the only way I can help Seto."

At that moment, Seto screamed. It was an unearthly noise, inhuman. If pain were a sound, that was what it would be. He sounded so terrified and agonized and lonely that Sky thought his heart might burst. No one should be able to make that sound.

"Alright. Fine. No shit, though, Jase."

"No shit," he promised. Aradyn opened her hand, and a tiny rod of ice formed. There was a cracking noise, and the ice splintered into the shape of a key. She thrust it into the lock, and it popped open.

Slowly, as though not daring to believe his luck, Jason stepped through the now-open door into the hall. Sky started to follow him, but the door slammed shut less than an inch away from his nose. "Uh-uh. You're staying _in_," Aradyn said. She twirled the ice key again, and the lock clicked back into place as the key melted away into nothingness. "Jason, if you can get Seto into a state of semi coherence, that would be nice. I'll be back. Really fast."

Her ice blue wings burst out of her back, and she rose into the air, the high ceilings of the prison making indoor flight possible. She was out of sight down the halls within seconds.

"So what's your plan?" Sky asked.

"What do you mean?" Jason replied, not looking at Sky as he cautiously approached Seto, who was rocking back and forth on his heels, hands over his ears. The sorcerer's face was deathly white, and silent tears tracked down his face. His eyes were unfocused.

"You're going to get us out of here, aren't you?" Sky said after a pause. That was the point of Jason getting out, right?

"I'm doing what I told Ara I'd do," Jason admitted.

"Even after Seto tortured you?" Sky couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Yes, Sky, even after he tortured me!"

"But why?"

"Because he needs help. Sky… I—I don't think he's really… well. Seto needs help."

"Jason, he has new friends now!"

"Are they his friends? Herobrine tortured him, Sky, I heard him doing it. Seto was cursing Herobrine, then he stopped talking, then he started screaming. It went on for hours, Sky, hours. I couldn't sleep, because I kept thinking about what was going on. And then he started begging. You have never heard a person beg like that."

Jason took a deep breath and continued. "What did I ever do to you? Please stop. I won't fight. Just let me have some water. Just stop. Just give me a minute. I can't take any more; you're killing me. Please, just let me breathe. You're killing me. Just stop! Please stop! Fine, I'll do anything. Anything! Just let me have a drink of water, and I won't even fight any more." Tears were in Jason's eyes. "That's what he was saying, Sky, he was begging." Jason turned away from Sky.

"Oh," was all he could say.

"Yeah. Oh," Jason sighed. Gingerly, he touched Seto's arm. The sorcerer cried out and flinched, still not seeming to notice Jason.

"It hurts! Stop! Don't… don't touch me! Why is he doing this? He… he tortured me!"

"I know he did, Seto. But he's not here. You're safe," Jason assured him. He put his hands on the catatonic brunette's shoulders, ceasing his frantic rocking.

"He's torturing me! Why are you doing this? It hurts! Please stop!"

"Seto, you're safe." Sky could see that Jason's efforts weren't being particularly effective. "Just relax."

"Please stop!" Seto wailed. "JUST KILL ME ALREADY!"

* * *

><p><strong>So, yup. Seto seems pretty insane. Do we like crazy Seto? I do. I like him a lot. ERMAGERD PSYCHO SETO! Is "psycho Seto" alliteration? They don't start with the same letter, but they have the same sound. I will call it alliteration. Anywho, I'm making an effort to update as much as I can, but I do have a lot of projects going on. Would anyone watch if I made a YT channel? IDK. Essay contests, recording studios, competitive chess, songwriting, special FX make-up and YouTuber hot tub parties. My life is weird.<strong>

**SOTC: Breakeven, except I forget who it's by. Oops.**

**Thanks for coming along on this story with me, it's been pretty awesome to be writing! #Alliteration if you read this craziness!**


	20. Evil Eye (Ember)

"Sky? Is that you?" Ember gasped.

"Of course it's me," he smiled. Sky pressed her close to his chest and kissed her.

"I missed you, Sky."

"Holy shit. I'm not Sky, Ember!"

That was confusing. "But you just said…"

"Oh, for crying out loud…"

_Thump_. Ember opened her eyes and saw Rose standing over her, holding a pillow and looking very un-sorry. "Geez, dude. What the hell was that about?"

"Huh?" Ember sat up and started massaging her face. "I was sleeping. You hit me with a pillow. I'm the one who should be asking what the hell."

"Well, go ask Aradyn. She sent Wisp up to get you." That didn't make any sense.

"So why are you here?"

"Because Wisp wanted to find coffee or some other shit to 'ease you awake.' I got bored with that fast."

"Of course you would," Ember groaned.

"Hey, Ara seemed pretty urgent. You might want to hurry down."

"Fine." Yawning, Ember slid out of bed. Rose's gum burst loudly as she escorted her down the stairs.

Aradyn was hopping up and down on the balls of her feet. "Hey, Ember. I kind of… well…"

"What?" Ember wondered why they couldn't have let her sleep.

"I may or may not have accidentally caused Seto to have a flashback, and he may or may not be freaking out and screaming his head off, and I may or may not have let Jason out of his cell," Aradyn said in a rush. Oh. That was why.

"So I need to fix this?" Ember guessed.

"Yeah…"

"Alright." _Why do I have friends?_ She snapped her fingers, creating a black rectangle. Together, Aradyn and Ember walked through, appearing in the hallway of the prison.

Seto was curled into a small ball on the floor, Jason crouched down beside him. He looked up warily as Ember approached. "What do you want, Ember?" Ember felt relieved that Jason was at least not overtly hostile.

"I need to take care of Seto." Ember stepped closer to Jason, who tensed.

"Fine," was all he said, stepping away slowly.

Ember reached down and touched Seto's arm lightly. He cried out sharply.

"Stop! Please! He's hurting me!" It didn't take much thinking to know that 'he' was Herobrine.

"Shh. Seto, I'm here to help. Now relax." Ember removed the bottle of sleeping potion from her pocket.

His eyes widened. "Water. Please, I need water!" He was still in the grip of the delusion, but this could work to her advantage.

Ember stroked his hair, hoping to soothe him. "This is water," she lied. She unstoppered the bottle and held it to his lips. Seto swallowed it thirstily. Within moments he was unconscious. One problem solved. His head rested in Ember's lap, so she didn't stand up as she turned to Aradyn. "Could you—

She faltered as she accidentally met Jason's icy eyes, for a second seeing through to the hurt that lay in his expression.

"Could I what, Ember?" Aradyn prompted.

"Could you maybe carry Seto back to the house?"

"I thought you'd teleport him," she said, her pale eyebrows knitting together.

"Actually, I need to talk to Jason for a moment," Ember explained.

"O-kay. No problem, Em." Ember was grateful for her friend's willingness to go along with things as Aradyn easily picked up the skinny unconscious sorcerer, jumping into the air.

Jason continued to glare at her, even after Aradyn had disappeared from sight. Feeling somewhat unsettled, Ember rose to her feet. "Spit it out, will you?"

"Spit it out," Jason echoed, as though the words tasted foreign. "You want me to tell you what I'm thinking?"

"Yes, but you knew that."

"I think I will _spit it out_. You want to know what I'm thinking? I'm thinking that you're a liar and a monster and the most pathetic excuse for a human being I've ever had the unfortunate opportunity to see!" he snarled.

Well. That stung a bit. Ember felt her hands clench and had to bite her lip to keep from yelling back at Jason. "Look. Jason, I did what I had to. I'm sorry that you don't understand that, but it's the truth. I had to bring you and Ty and Sky and Mitch here."

"Shut up. You don't know anything, do you? You think that Herobrine is doing something _good_. You think that you're going to help the world. Ember, you _don't know anything._ Trust me, Herobrine is evil."

"To _you_. He's tearing down your twisted world to replace it with a better one. You're the one who doesn't know anything." Ember paused. "Aradyn told you why we've kept you alive, right?"

"Yes," Sky said hollowly. Ember turned to look at him. He was staring resolutely at the floor, either unable or unwilling to look at her.

"She did, and I have to say, it's a pretty stupid plan. You really think that we'll ever agree to serve Herobrine?"

"Of course," Ember said. "He'll make you."

"Like he made Seto? Ember, think about what he did to Seto, and tell me Herobrine isn't evil," Jason challenged.

"He isn't evil," Ember said coolly.

"Look at me, and say that again," he ordered. "Herobrine tortured Seto. But I suppose that's your fault. You caught him, didn't you? You brought Seto here to be tortured."

"Herobrine isn't evil, Jason. I asked for mercy for Seto, and he gave it."

"Torture is mercy?" Disgust was writ on Jason's face.

"He was going to kill Seto!" Ember snarled. "Herobrine wanted to torture Seto to death! He wanted _me_ to do that, and… and I couldn't! So I said the first thing I came up with to save his life!"

"Seto would rather have died than joined Herobrine. He only turned to your side because it was the only way out of the torture! Herobrine is _evil_!"

"He is not!"

"You're _defending_ the god of the Nether, on the grounds that he isn't evil," Jason stated disbelievingly.

Ember glared at him. Why couldn't he understand that this needed to be done? That the world needed a change in its leaders? "You'll understand someday. Eventually, you _will _join us."

"I never will," he vowed confidently. "And you only think he isn't evil because you _are_."

She fought against the purple haze that threatened to claim her vision. "We've talked enough. Get back in your cell."

Jason acquiesced calmly enough, stepping through the door that Ember had opened. As she relocked it, however, he wrapped his hands around the bars, bringing his face close to hers. There was a dark, angry look in his eyes.

"Ember. You'll see it soon enough, that you're mistaken. But when you do, it might be too late." With that, he turned away, pacing around the confines of his cell.

As Ember teleported away, the last thing she heard was Sky, asking, "Since when did you become so cryptic?"

* * *

><p><strong>Cryptic Jason is cryptic. Deal with it! I can't thank you guys enough for all the support I've gotten; it means so much to me! Thank y'all! Also, if you guys want to submit questions for a Q&amp;A when this story ends (sooner than you think), that would be cool! Ow. Typing hurts because I burnt my hand while making caramel. I have a weird life.<strong>

**SOTC: "Best Mistake" by Ariana Grande. I love that song so much!**


	21. Insane (Ember)

Seto lifted his head as Ember passed his door. "Em," he called weakly.

"Hey, Seto," she said gently, coming in and sitting on his bed. He looked pretty awful, his skin a ghastly white, sweat soaking his hair and his pillow.

"How do you stand it?" he asked suddenly.

"Stand what?"

"Zariah. Knowing that you have someone with so much power over you inside you, and knowing that they want to destroy you and everyone that you care about."

Ember stiffened. "I hate it. She… I don't stand it, Seto, how can you think I would?"

"I was just hoping," he said, raising his chocolate eyes with some difficulty to meet her own. "I thought you might be able to help me."

"Are you hearing voices again, Seto?" Ember teased, trying to lighten the mood.

He cracked a small smile, but grew serious quickly. "I feel… I feel like I'm going insane, Ember. It hurts so much every time I go back to then. Is… am I insane?"

**_Yes._**

_Not helping, Z._

**_You're insane, too. _**

_Thank you. Maybe I'm just imagining you._

**_Maybe. That would be weird._** **_Maybe I'm imagining you. Although why I'd come up with such a bitch to share headspace with is a mystery. _**

_Right back at you, oh dear friend._

**_The sarcasm… I didn't think you could do that!_**

_Same goes for you._

**_No, I was being serious._** Zariah gave the mental equivalent of a dry laugh.

"Ember?" Seto pressed. He was scared, she realized. Scared of himself.

Ember wanted to say 'no,' but somehow couldn't get the word out. "I don't know," she finally said.

Seto's eyes glazed over for a moment with tears. "I knew it. I knew it, but I had to ask." He was crying now, silent tears clumping in his eyelashes and spilling down over his cheeks.

"Seto… I just can't know what's happening in your head! But…" Ember stopped herself before she could say more. _Stupid, stupid, STUPID girl._

**_I've been saying it for years._**

_Shut up._

**_You shut up._**

_It's my damn head! Go away!_

Seto closed his eyes. "But what? You _know_ it."

She couldn't think of anything to say, so for lack of anything better to do, Ember stroked his arm. Seto didn't react. "I…"

"You what, exactly?" Ember jumped, spinning around. Her eyes lit upon Herobrine, who stood silhouetted against the light from the hall.

"Nothing," she whispered. "Nothing."

"Come with me, Ember," he ordered. She slid off the bed and followed him out into the hall. He led the way up to the balcony, and jumped. Within five seconds, however, he'd floated back up.

Ember watched the dark god. "I can't."

"You can't what?" he asked, his black eyebrows bunching together over his white eyes.

"Fly."

"What?" Herobrine said, falling a few feet closer.

She winced at the tearing sensation as her wings ripped out of her back. "Zariah broke my wing."

He landed beside her. "Allow me." Ember flinched as he ran his hand across her wing. "Does it hurt?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me? Sit down," he added, conjuring a chair for her.

Ember complied, trying to resist the urge to panic as Herobrine searched for the break in her wing. She'd never liked being touched, especially on her wings. It had been one of her hardest challenges ever to act as though she were fine with all the… _contact_ that her mission with Sky had taken. She hadn't minded it sometimes, though, especially not on the last morning before she'd… before she'd betrayed him. Ember had needed something to comfort her, to give her the strength to go through with the plan. And blissfully ignorant, Sky had been that comfort.

"Well?" Herobrine prompted, a slight edge to his voice. Ember realized with a jolt that she must have been ignoring his question.

"Sorry! I didn't tell you because… well, I didn't think to."

The god raised an eyebrow. "I am beginning to feel like you don't trust me."

Ember cried out as he accidentally brushed the fracture in her wing bone. "Ah! Stop, stop, stop!"

He obliged. "All I mean to say is that you did not consult with me before turning the human into a hybrid like yourself." She couldn't mistake the accusation in his tone for anything other than what it was.

"I…"

"You chose to heal him. Why?"

"Because…"

"You _care_ about him. That's why, isn't it?"

"He hates me!"

"But you don't hate him."

Ember slumped down. "What right do I have to hate him?"

"What right have you? You have every right. He's upset you, hurt you before. He would kill you if he could. And he's the enemy. Ty is a human. It was people like him that killed your brother."

She closed her eyes as the painful memories rushed over her.

"Ember," Herobrine continued, "you're superior to him in every way. Why would you want to use your energy to save him and risk our cause?"

"I don't know!" Herobrine nodded, so Ember went on. "I don't know why I care, I don't know why I don't hate him, and I don't know why I didn't let him just die! All I know is that I _do_ care, I _don't_ hate him, and I _didn't_ let him die!"

"That was weak," the dark god said coolly. "Try to do better. Remember our goal. Nothing matters but it."

"I'm sorry," Ember whispered.

"I know you are." Gently, he touched her wing again. Ember felt a warm surge of energy as he used his magic to repair the bone. She tried not to gasp in relief as the pain abated, draining smoothly away from her. The feeling in the absence of the pain was almost ecstasy.

"Thanks," she breathed, trying to show him the fullness of her gratitude in the lone word.

"You're welcome," Herobrine said, gracing her with his odd little half-smile. "Remember, don't disappoint me." With that, he spoke a soft syllable and disappeared.

Ember didn't want to ever fail the dark god again.

* * *

><p><strong>Ember is a perfectionist. What more can I say? Also, does anyone know why Seto doesn't upload videos anymore? I mean, I know TC kicked him out, but that's no reason to stop. Seto is awesome, and it's TC's loss that they didn't realize it sooner. And I would know awesome. Because awesome lives right here! ME! I'M AWESOME! BECAUSE I'M ALIVE! AND A DRAGON! YAY! LOGIC! *brain explodes in cupcake sparkles of awesome* And noooo I'm not an obsessed fangirl... what would give you that impression? Anyway, if you know why Seto the awesome person doesn't upload, please share!<strong>

**Rant over. Now back to the scheduled programming.**

**So, thank you guys so much for your support of the story! I really try to update as often as possible... sigh... I have so many projects going on write now (Geddit? 'Write' now? You're laughing. I can tell.) that it's overwhelming. My main life is chess. Chess. More chess. (My life is weird, didja notice?) Then I'm working on starting a YT channel for FX makeup, covers of songs, and MC. So I have a question, and yes I do realize that this is an insanely long author's note. But kittens happened, 'kay? **

**Question is, what do you guys like to see in MC vids? What in MC should I do? What makes a video good? Tell me in the comments!**

**Thanks guys, and here is the S to the O to the TC (Not Team Crafted): "Glory and Gore" by Lorde.**


	22. Tail (Ember)

As Ember made her way towards her room, a terrified scream split the air, cutting through the low chatter that came from downstairs. Who…? Oh. Ty. Ember redoubled her pace and came to the door to his room.

Ty was sitting up in bed, gasping for air. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides.

"Hey," she called gently, so as to not startle him. He couldn't see through the blindfold, she remembered. He was probably panicking from not knowing where he was. "It's okay. I'm here. You're safe." Slowly, she approached, sitting down beside him. "I promise."

He growled softly as she reached out and took one of his hands in her own. Ignoring him, she began to rub his wrist, forcing him to stop clenching the muscle. "I'm sorry," she finally said. The words felt so hollow that she decided to elaborate some. "For what happened. I know you didn't want this, but I had to save you."

Ty's green wings twitched slightly, restlessly. "W-hy?" he stuttered. At least he could talk again. "You… had to?"

"What do you remember?"

His hands clapped over his ears and he bit his lip. It wasn't enough to stop the small whimper from escaping. "Pain. A monster. You. Blood." His voice changed. **"A boy. The spell of binding. Human blood."**

That was Eguire, she knew. Eguire was the dragon that she had fused Ty with. She'd hoped that they'd be a good match for each other, that they would get along, that eventually they might be able to work together. Eguire seemed to be learning how to talk fast, which was good. He needed to be able to communicate with Ty.

"Who… Em-ber. Em. Em, where… am I?" Ty asked.

"Somewhere safe." Ember realized that she would have a hell of a lot of explaining to do, unless he started to remember things faster. "How much do you think you know about yourself?"

"I…"

"Jason." Ember chose the prompt carefully; she didn't want him to be confused as to whether memories were his or Eguire's. And Jason would hopefully be a prominent enough figure in Ty's mind to trigger a chain reaction of memories.

The effect was instantaneous. Ty gave a sharp cry of pain as the memories surged through his mind. He rocked back and forth for several minutes before raising his head again. Ember could see the tension in his jaw. When he spoke, the words were short and tight. "I remember now. You did this to me. You betrayed us. You hurt me and turned me into _this_!"

"I did what I did to save you," Ember said almost pleadingly.

"I didn't want saved," he whispered. The fight seemed to have gone out of him as tears slid out from under the blindfold. "I _asked_ you to let me die. I'd rather be dead than be on Herobrine's side."

She didn't know what to say. In fact, there only seemed to be one thing to do. Ember wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. She wasn't generally a huggy person, but it felt like the right thing to do.

Ty stiffened. "What are you doing?"

"You needed a hug."

"Since when does a hug make me being a monster better?" Beneath the harshness in his tone, Ember detected the self-pity and confusion that he was feeling.

She didn't answer Ty's question, just held him there. After a few moments, he relaxed, leaning into her hug slightly. Ember felt his heart thudding against his ribs and her chest, and could hear the shallow, shaky breaths that he took. Finally Ty pulled back, falling against his pillow.

"I don't know why I went along with that."

"Because you're scared and alone and thinking that no one can possibly understand what's going on with your life."

"How do you—

"I was six years old when Zariah was fused with me. _Zariah_. I had just lost my entire family. I didn't even have anyone else who was a hybrid like me. All I had was Herobrine, who was gone half the time, and Z, who isn't exactly great company."

Ty exhaled sharply. "Your entire family?"

"I… I don't want to talk about it. But yeah, I had a family. A brother. My parents."

"How did they die?" he asked.

"I _said_ I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine." A pause. "Ember… what do I look like?"

"Wouldn't you rather see for yourself?"

"I can _see_ again?" he asked, sitting up, his voice suddenly animated, almost hungry.

"Yeah. Hold still." Ty froze obediently, and she could sense his excitement as she reached around his head, unknotting the blindfold.

Ember had to stifle a gasp as he blinked his eyes. In his hybrid form, Ty's eyes were an incredible emerald green, shot through with streaks of tawny, reddish topaz. The effect was striking, creating the appearance of light filtering through trees.

Ty really did gasp, but in pain. His mind wasn't used to the heightened vision he had, Ember knew. She watched as his pupils contracted and dilated, the muscles unaccustomed to working. Finally, he looked at her. "Thanks," he breathed. "This… this is _amazing_. I can see _everything_."

"You're welcome. You should take a look at yourself. And don't freak out," Ember ordered.

He nodded and turned his gaze to himself. His white shirt was similar to the one he'd usually wear. Seemingly reflexively, he reached up to check for his headphones. They were sitting on a table, but luckily he noticed them before he grew too frantic. Ty glanced at Ember. "What am I going to freak out about?"

"Well…" Ember gingerly took the edge of his wing in her fingers and extended it slowly. He wouldn't know how to move those muscles yet, she guessed.

His eyes widened. "I… I have a wing. Wings."

"And a tail," she supplied.

"A tail?" Ty almost shrieked. "I have a freaking _tail_?"

Yep. That freaked him out. "It's nothing to be upset about," she soothed. Tails weren't anything bad. They were just… there. Although sometimes they did get annoying when they got stepped on or tangled up in things.

"Yes, it is. I'm… I'm a freak."

"You're not. You're different. You're _better_."

"I hate my wings," he sighed. "And my tail."

"You didn't even really look at your wings."

Ty reluctantly stared at them. "They're green," he said after a long time.

Indeed they were. It was to be expected, as Eguire was a green dragon. Ty's wings were a beautiful shade of emerald, almost the exact color as his eyes, except without the yellow. The scales were small across the bones of his wing, looking like pebbles in a creek bottom. The main surface of his wing was slightly more jade colored than emerald, and it was as smooth as leather.

"What do you think?"

"They're not too awful," he admitted. "But you'll never convince me to like my tail."

"You can change out of your hybrid form, you know. Back to human. And you'll have a dragon form too."

"This is so weird."

"What is?"

"Everything. That I'm… this. That I have wings and a _tail_. That I'm fused with a dragon. That I'm actually able to talk to you civilly about the insanity my life just turned into." Ty shook his head in disbelief, causing a chunk of his brown hair to fall into his eyes.

"Welcome to _my_ life. Weirdness squared."

"You brought me into this mess, you know," he said, almost reproachfully. There was another long silence. "I still wish… I wish that you'd let me die. I wish you hadn't betrayed us, and I wish that I'd never met you."

"I know." This time it was Ember that broke the lingering quiet. "Do you want me to help you… _adjust_ to this?"

"Well…"

"I could teach you how to fly and shift shapes."

"Yeah, I guess. Thanks."

"No problem. You should probably get some sleep now, though." At least he hadn't flipped out. She stood up to leave.

"Ember."

She turned partway around to face Ty. "Yes?"

"Don't think that this changes things between us. I still want revenge."

"Of course." Ember flipped the lights off and closed the door behind her. "I wouldn't imagine you doing anything else."

* * *

><p><strong>Welp. I meant to update yesterday, because I had this typed, but I forgot. Thanks a lot, brain. Just... just no.<strong>

**SOTC: Bad Blood by Taylor Swift. Do you guys love 1989, the album? Because I do. TS is awesome!**


	23. Freedom (Ty)

Ty watched her go. Ember's purple wings had nearly trailed across the ground, even tucked in as they were. He'd never realized how her eyes glowed slightly, or how intoxicating the jasmine scent she always exuded was.

**_It's a… _**Disjointed images swam through his head, and finally a word came through. **_It's a power._**

Ty froze. This must be the dragon. _What do you want?_

**_You don't like me?_** came the tremulous reply.

_What are you doing in my head?_

**_I'm… Ember sent me here. I don't know why, really. Who are you?_**

_I'm… I think I was…_ That was strange. He was certain that he'd been someone named Ty, but that… He didn't know his name. _Who are you?_

**_Eguire. I'm sorry I'm in your head and you don't like me. But maybe we can be friends._**

_Maybe… _He remembered how he'd called this weird. Well, it had just gotten a whole lot weirder.

**_So what is your name?_**

Ty didn't know exactly what to say. _It used to be Ty, I think…_

**_What is it now, though?_**

_I have no idea. Aren't you supposed to be evil, like Zariah?_

**_No! _**Ty sensed that he had caused great offense. **_I'm nothing like her! Zariah… Zariah is EVIL. And quite possibly insane. I'm normal, I promise._**

_Well, that's incredibly reassuring_, he thought caustically.

**_You're very friendly, aren't you?_**

_Yes, yes. I suppose I am._

**_Why do have to be so mean? I'm just trying to be help._**

I'm_ not being mean. I'm not in someone else's head._

**_Actually, this is my head too. You just have control of our body right now_****, **Eguire said huffily. **_I could take charge if I wanted to._**

_Like Zariah?_

**_Not like Zariah. She takes over to hurt people. She wants to hurt Ember and everyone she cares about. I'd take charge because you're being an ass. _**Ty got the impression that Eguire rarely, if ever, used that word. He felt hurt drifting over from Eguire's mind, and suddenly felt guilty.

_Sorry._

**_This is so weird_****, **Eguire finally thought.

_You think?_

**_Just… not being in control. Your mind is so… weird. You've never hunted. You've never flown. You… You're like a hatchling. And you're controlling our body. It isn't right. _**

_You've never had opposable thumbs, have you? Or the ability to talk? It isn't as easy as it looks_, Ty challenged.

**_Oh yeah? Have you ever tried diving towards the Void, chasing after prey? Knowing that if you mess up at all, you'll fall away into the eternal darkness? That you'll never escape an infinity of icy midnight?_**

_Have you ever tried writing a message in pen, knowing that if your hand slips so much as an inch, all your work will be for nothing?_

**_Hand?_** Eguire was momentarily stumped.

_See?_

**_I don't understand…_**

_I knew it. You've never had hands. There's a reason that I'm in control. I know what I'm doing._

**_I have paws… Are they the same?_**

_ No. _

**_You're so weird looking_****, **the dragon thought.

_Look, I just found out I have wings. You can deal with hands._

**_I'm stuck in a scaleless pink human!_** Eguire growled, his frustration starting to erupt out of his calm veneer.

_And I have a freaking tail_, Ty sighed.

**_Tails aren't that bad._**

_Says you._

**_How do you stand not having scales? And wearing clothes?_**

_You get used to it. How do you stand having a rope attached to your butt?_

**_TAILS ARE NOT BUTT-ROPES. _**

_They kind of are._

**_Shut up._** Eguire receded away from Ty's thoughts, leaving him alone in his head again.

"Well," he said aloud, "that was interesting." Ty sat up slowly, glancing around the room. He caught another whiff of Ember's scent. It was… she smelled absolutely perfect. He shook his head. Why couldn't he stop thinking about her?

**_Like I started to say, it's one of Em's powers. Most humans can't not fall for her._**

_So we're friends again, Eg?_

**_Why are you calling me that?_**

_I honestly have no idea._

**_And were we friends? Are we friends?_**

_Do you want to be friends?_

**_How about… allies, at least for now?_**

_Deal. _Allies. That was okay. Ty wasn't exactly sure he wanted a dragon for a friend just yet. _So what were you saying about it being a power? Ember's perfume, I mean._

**_It isn't perfume; it's like pheromones. And it's one of her powers. We all have an aura as dragons, but it changes when we become hybrids, like you and I are. Em's aura makes most male humans feel strong… desire… for her._**

_So, a lot like pheromones?_

**_Yes._**

_That's why Sky crushed on her so hard, I guess._

**_Sky? _**Ty felt Eguire search their memory, felt the dragon's curiosity and confusion. **_Ah. Sky. I know him now. Yes, that might have been part of it. Also, she's very pretty. And she's funny and nice._**

_I'm not so sure about 'nice.'_

**_She's very nice, once you get to know her._**

_She betrayed me, blinded me, and then tried to kill me. _

**_She didn't betray you; she helped you and brought you here so that you could follow your destiny. And the rest was Zariah. Ember did end up restoring your sight and saving you. And Herobrine originally wanted her to bring Sky and kill the rest of you, you know. She convinced him to take all of you. You owe her your life twice over._**

_My life wouldn't have been in danger if she didn't exist._

**_Not from her, but who knows what else might have happened?_**

_Eguire, she's done other things. She let Herobrine hurt… she let him hurt Jason. _Ty felt a sick tide of anger rise in his throat. Jason had been willing to die to protect them. Ember could have just told those pigmen to stop, and they would have listened. But because of her mission, she'd let Jason be captured and brought to Herobrine and tortured. Ty clenched his fists. How had he been willing to listen to her before?

**_Ty, she did what she had to do. Don't you see? She's working for the greater good. _**

_How is taking over the world working for the greater good?_

**_Herobrine wants to correct the social order. The more powerful people should be in control. That's the way it should be. That's the way it is for almost every creature, except humans. And if there's only one ruler, only one group, can there be war? Herobrine would bring peace. _**

_If by peace, you mean a dictatorship, then yes, there would be 'peace.' The people of such a place wouldn't stand it. They'd fight back. They'd overthr—_

**_They'd be destroyed. Herobrine and Ember and Aradyn and Rose and Wispice and us—we'd eliminate them easily._**

_Not me. I'd never do that. I'd help the people free themselves._

**_Freedom isn't good for humans. They don't know what to do with it._**

_That's ridiculous. I'm going to sleep. _With that, Ty closed his mind to Eguire and rolled over, burying his nose into a pillow and wrapping a blanket tightly around himself. _Goodnight._

**_Goodnight, Ty._**

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><p><strong>Yup. That's Eguire. I like him. What do y'all think of Eg? Good guy? Bad guy? Nice? Mean? Smart? Utterly bananas? Thanks to DrunkRussianAni for creating the idea for him out of her drunk and Russian mind. Yes. I know that's a terrible joke. Deal wit' it. I made a few tweaks, e.g. turning her (she was originally Eguise) into a guy. And e.g. is another terrible slightly ironic joke. Deal wit' that too. <strong>

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><p><strong>CASTING CALL! READ ON PLEASE! BUT I MAKE NO PROMISES! DEAL WIT' DAT S#% ! YES I CENSORED MYSELF! HYPERNESS (MOSTLY) OVER!<strong>

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><p><strong>Okay, I may or may not need some OC dudes. At most three. Dragons, obviously. No super crazy powers. And they have to be boys. No huge backstories, although a suggestion is alright. And I don't promise to use them. Because... well, I don't know what I'm going to get. And they don't have human forms. These are pure dragons.<strong>

**(I put on all those qualifiers because last time I asked for OCs I got a lot of things I couldn't use... I literally changed the whole plot to use at least some OCs. I'm never doing that again. Like, Ember would never have been working for Herobrine if I hadn't gotten the OCs I did. You guys got rid of the happy ending. HOW DO YOU FEEL? YOU BROKE SKY'S HEART.)**

**(Don't take offense at that. I recently ingested dangerous quantities of sugar. I AM NO BLEEPIN' LONGER RESPONSIBLE FOR MAH BLEEPIN' ACTIONS! And I'm trying desperately to be somewhat funny. You probably couldn't tell.)**

**(Because I'm failing.)**

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><p><strong>OC FORM:<strong>

**Name:**

**Personality:**

**Appearance:**

**Miscellaneous:**

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><p><strong>Thank you guys so much! Here is the SOTC: "23" by Miley Cyrus, Juicy J, Wiz Khalifa, and Mike Will-Made-It. Because this is the 23rd chapter. And I- I'm in the club with my shades on! Hip-hop hooray!<strong>


	24. Return of the Shtuff

Ian flopped back against the couch. Jerome listlessly plucked at the fabric of his chair. Husky sighed loudly, scuffing the carpet with his foot.

The door flew open, and all three of them jumped as Bonks came tearing into the room. "It's been one day! Are they back?"

"Shit! Guys, where are my glasses?"

Oh no. "Someone find Ian's glasses!" Jerome shouted.

"Hell no! Just take cover!" Husky yelped, sprinting to the door. He was probably going to just hunker down in the pond for a while.

"He has a point," Bonks said as she raced up the stairs. A door slammed shut behind her, and Jerome knew that he'd have no help. Damn it.

Ian's panicked expression suddenly turned into one of wild, giddy happiness. "Hi, Fluffy! Let's have some _caaaaaaaakkkkkkkeeeee_!"

As the aforesaid cake smashed into his face, spreading frosting through his fur, Jerome knew that two days couldn't pass soon enough. _Please, Sky. Come back. Quickly._

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><p><strong>And shtuff returns! One day has passed, and already Ian's gone derp! What could possibly go more wrong in TWO days?<strong>


	25. Crazy In Lurve (Ember)

"Ember Ember Ember Ember Ember Ember Ember…"

"_What_, Aradyn?" Ember groaned, pulling her book down, away from her face, and glaring at Aradyn.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Too bad. I'm reading," she growled, raising her book again.

"Ember…"

"I'm _still_ reading, believe it or not." Ember felt like she deserved a few minutes of peace. First, Aradyn had caused the disaster in the prison, making it so that Ember had had to console Seto. Then, Herobrine had come for a talk. After that, she'd had to go to get Ty to stop freaking out over his stupid tail.

Oh, yeah. And it had all begun with a pillow to the face.

**_And don't forget you had to keep your idiot friend's marshmallow from exploding._**

_How could I?_ That too. Rose had almost created a marshmallow volcano.

"I know, but this is important," Aradyn wheedled.

"Will you shut up and let me read if I talk to you?"

"_Yes_…"

"Go away. There. I talked to you." Ember's tail twitched, smacking against the couch with a loud thump.

"Ember!" Aradyn protested.

She growled, the sound rumbling up from deep in her chest. "I said go away!"

Aradyn sighed, then yanked the book away from Ember. "Pay attention to me!"

"No! I've had a pretty awful day, and I want to have a few moments for me! Is that too freaking much to ask?"

"Right now, yes! Please, Em, _please_. I need help."

"Give me my book and leave me alone!"

"Do you think I'd be asking if it wasn't really important? Emmy, please."

Ember stiffened. "Don't call me that." It reminded her too much of what her brother used to call her.

"Okay, but… please?"

She made the tactical mistake of looking up—right into Aradyn's puppy-dog eyes.

"Please, Em?" Aradyn almost whimpered.

"I hate you. Fine," Ember said, defeated.

"Awesome!" she squealed, happy dancing around the room. Aradyn sobered quickly, though. "Can we go to my room? I don't want anyone to hear."

"Okay... By the secretiveness, I'm guessing this is about a boy?"

Aradyn opened the door and bounced on to her bed, Ember following, waiting impatiently for her excitable friend to calm down enough to talk.

"Well?" Ember prodded.

She blushed. "Yesssss."

Oh. Wonderful. "We don't exactly have a surplus of boys, you know. So who do you like? Seto? Mitch? Ty?" Ember swallowed. "You don't crush on Sky, right?"

"Nah, none of them. I like… I like…" She muttered something unintelligible.

"I can't hear you."

Aradyn mumbled something that sounded like 'gerbils.'

"Still can't hear you."

"Jason, okay? I like Jason!" Aradyn shrieked.

Ember stared at Aradyn, knowing her mouth was hanging open but not caring. "He's a human," was all she could say.

**_So is Sky, little miss lover girl._**

_Shut up._

**_You still love him. You dream about him. You _****want ****_him._**

_What part of 'shut up' do you not understand?_

Aradyn shifted a little. "Yeah… I know it's stupid. But… ah!" She fell backwards. "I can't stop thinking about Jase!"

"You call him Jase?"

"And he calls me Ara."

Ember took a deep breath. Okay. Okay. This was weird. So was life. She could deal. "So what makes you like him?"

"He's cute and he's funny and he's Jason and did I mention he's Jason?" Aradyn gushed. "Those are great things, right?"

"Jason is Jason. Excellent logic."

"I know, right?"

She wasn't sure that Aradyn was really listening anymore. "Look, you can fangirl just as well by yourself. So why am I here?"

"What?"

"Why am I here?"

"That's deep shit, Em," Rose said, the door flying open behind her.

"Aiiieegh! Rose, get out, get out, get out!" Aradyn yelped, jumping up and trying to shove the taller girl out into the hall.

It was a futile effort. Rose pushed Aradyn out of the way easily and plopped herself on the bed. Her gum popped with a smacking sound. "So, Ara and Jase?"

"You weren't supposed to be listening!"

"Yeah, whatever. So have you kissed him yet?"

"What? No!"

"Jason and Aradyn, sitting on a cliff, K-I-S-S-I—wait, you do realize that he's a human, right?"

"Yes, I do, but I love him!" Aradyn said, clearly still mad at Rose for eavesdropping.

"How do you know? You've never been in love!"

"But how could I _not_ be? He's Jason!"

Rose gaped at her, then slowly turned to Ember. "Is she serious? Like, her brain is practically on the ground in a flippin' puddle."

"I know." Ember shook her head tiredly.

"Ugh. I hate that hippy-dippy love crap. I declare a group meeting!" Rose shouted.

Wispice burst into the room a few seconds later. "Sorry I'm late!"

Aradyn hung her head. "I didn't mean for everyone to know!"

"Small world, sista. Deal with it," Rose ordered, with her usual tact.

"Rose, her heart is exposed to us all now. This is a part of her that she might not have wanted to share, but she's still Aradyn. We'll accept her anyway, right?" Wispice asked, patting Aradyn's arm. "It's okay that you're in love with Ember, Ara."

Ember almost choked, she was laughing so hard. "Wisp… you have no idea what's going on. Absolutely no idea."

Wispice blinked. "I… oops." She blushed.

Aradyn was glaring at them all now. "I might as well just tell you guys, so that there aren't any more _misunderstandings_."

"Yeah. Well, pretty much only Wisp, because I was listening," Rose smirked. "See? I pay attention."

"Only when you're not supposed to!" Aradyn hissed indignantly.

"Wait, what did you say?" Rose asked innocently. A little _too_ innocently. "I don't think I was listening."

"That's _it_, you—"

Ember grabbed Aradyn's arms before she could punch Rose. "Guys. Chill."

"I don't want to chill!" Rose complained.

"Too bad. Shut up. Aradyn, please explain to Wisp."

"Fine. So basically… IkindofmaybehaveakindofmaybefreakishlyhugecrushonJasonbutjustmaybeandifanyofyouguystellhimyouwilldieinincrediblepainIswear. There."

"Oh…" Wispice blinked. "I thought…"

"We know what you thought," Ember sighed, releasing her friend.

"But he's human!" she finally burst out.

"I KNOW," Aradyn growled.

"Yeah, I told her that."

"Herobrine's planning on fixing that," Aradyn smiled, her face relaxing slightly at the knowledge. "Then he'll be completely available."

"That's good," Wispice said happily. "You guys are going to be such a cute couple."

"I know, right? He's so _dreamy_." Aradyn flopped down against the bed. "I can't wait until he joins us."

"You know, they aren't exactly thrilled about Herobrine's plan," Ember warned Aradyn. She didn't want her friend to get too excited.

"I'll make him come around, Em," she assured Ember.

"Don't get your hopes too high."

"Stop raining on my parade! Anyway, you like Sky."

"What?" Ember said, hoping she'd sound disbelieving.

"Eh, yeah, you do," Rose grinned.

"Aradyn's right, Em. You like him."

"I do not!"

"Yeah right!"

"Look, guys, I had to act like I liked him to get him to come here. That's all it was. It was just a job. He wanted me to like him, so I liked him for as long as it took. I kissed him because he wanted to be kissed. I loved him because he wanted to be loved. It was all an act, and I don't know why you all think it was more than that. I had to do it," Ember lied. It wasn't all an act; she'd enjoyed it, sometimes, and occasionally not even had to think about how she should respond to Sky's affection.

"Then explain why you were dreaming about him," Rose challenged. "You are so in luuurrrvvve!"

"Dreams are weird. Explain why you dreamed about being snogged by broccoli," Ember retorted.

"When did I—

"Last week," Aradyn smirked. "Sorry, Rose. Your secret's out!"

"I hate you!"

"Meeting adjourned!" Aradyn called, ducking away from Rose's punch and sprinting into the hall. The taller girl chased after her angrily, screaming something about frying her liver with mashed potatoes.

**_Ahh, the power of friendship._**

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><p><strong>#Jadyn! I can hear you, orchidlove123, I know you're screaming in fangirly delight. I told ya I'd do it! Thanks for reading, as always, and I know it's been a while since I updated. Sorry. I will find an excuse! I promise! <strong>

**Also, thanks to ArcticHuntress for sending in le first OC! Yay! Shoutout! Bossery! Computer red lines of rage are happening!**

**I'm going to be starting a new story very soon... This story is almost done! There could (maybe) be a sequel! Yay! Would y'all like that? IDK. I have some ideas...**

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><p><strong>Who is your favorite character? Tell me in the reviews, and I'll tally up the points next chapter! You can choose three!<strong>

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><p><strong>AradynRogue: 0**

**Zariah/Ember: 0**

**Rosewing/Crimson: 0**

**Wispice/Mint: 0**

**Eguire/Ty: 0**

**Herobrine: 0**

**Seto: 0**

**Mitch: 0**

**Sky: 0**

**Jason: 0**

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><p><strong>SOTC: Oath by Cher Lloyd featuring Becky G.<strong>

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><p><strong>Peace, and Nafia out!<strong>


	26. It's Easy Pt: 1 (Ember)

"Seto?" Ember called. "You need to wake up."

All the girls had already awoken to the sound of Aradyn yelling. It seemed that Rose had smothered her in blankets so tightly that she couldn't move and was attempting to force-feed her some of Wispice's soup. No one felt safe to return to bed after that, so they'd simply decided to stay up late (or was it early?) making unsafe quantities of popcorn and trying to get the others to laugh.

Now Ember was attempting to awaken the sorcerer from his slumber. There was no response, though she called his name several times.

"Seto!"

No answer. She pushed open the door, her concern growing by the moment.

Seto was curled up tightly in a blanket, his knees drawn towards his chin. "Hey, Em. I was trying to sleep." He didn't move at all, except for his mouth.

"Are you okay?"

He hesitated before saying, "Yeah."

"Liar." Ember walked over to Seto, feeling her tail twitch in frustration. "What's up?"

"Nothing, I'm just tired." He certainly looked it, his eyes large and sunken into his thin face, as though the sockets were trying to swallow them.

"Do you want me to bring you some food?"

"No, but thanks for asking."

"You must be hungry."

"I'm not," Seto protested.

"Come on, you can tell me what's wrong," Ember said, prodding his shoulder gently. He winced.

"Em, I'm fine."

"No, you aren't."

"Yes, I am!" he growled, his eyes flashing. When the flash of anger waned, it seemed to have sapped all his strength, leaving the sorcerer like a sheet of paper, frail and weak. "I'm just… please, Em, I'm okay."

She stared at him. Something was definitely wrong, but he wasn't telling her. Ember sat down beside him and stroked his dark hair, feeling him stiffen under her fingertips. "Seto, you trust me, right?"

"I… yes."

"Then you can tell me."

"This isn't about you, it's—" Seto shut his mouth suddenly and started again. "Ember, nothing's wrong, so what is there to tell?"

"You're a horrible liar, and you know it."

"Yeah, maybe I am." He sighed softly, wrapping the blanket even tighter around himself as though to form a shield against the world.

"Do you ever wish that I hadn't brought you here?" Ember asked quietly.

He rolled over to look at her, chocolate eyes scanning the amethyst ones. "Are you really so naïve?" Then, without waiting for an answer, Seto turned over again. "I'm going to sleep."

Ember left feeling confused. What did he mean? What was wrong with him?

**_Don't ask me._**

_I didn't._

**_Good._**

Ember sighed and walked downstairs, to where Wispice was passed out on the couch. Rosewing was stretched out on the banister, snoring loudly. Aradyn had fallen asleep while she ate breakfast, her head on her plate of pancakes. So much for everyone being awake.

"Are there any leftovers?"

She wheeled around, tensing up. Ty was leaning nonchalantly against the wall, watching her, his green wings folded like a cloak around his body. She caught the scent of pine drifting away from him, the warm, sharp smell like a mild sedative, helping to calm her suddenly racing heartbeat.

"I can make something if you want," Ember said levelly.

"Nah, I was just asking." Ty unfurled himself and came to stand beside her, crossing his arms over his chest. His tail twitched. "So do I get flying lessons or what?"

"If you're ready."

"I am," he promised coolly.

"Now?"

"Why not?"

"Follow me." Ty trailed along after Ember like a shadow, his eyes dark and brooding. She did her best to ignore his sullenness as she led him towards one of the obsidian pillars that towered over the Ender landscape.

The giant black monolith rose so high that it was nearly impossible to tell where its massive length ended and the eternal night of the infinite void began. The stone glittered darkly, like a thousand eyes were blinking at the two small gnats in the endless cosmos. Ember heard Ty's sharp intake of breath, and snuck a glance at the brunette, who was gazing up at the seemingly never-ending column of inky darkness.

There was a notch in the base of the menhir, like a tiny tear in the fabric of some enormous tapestry. It was a door, and Ember pressed her entire weight against it. Slowly, it slid open with a grinding noise comparable to that of a tiger gnawing on stones. The gloom within seemed almost to radiate out, if such a thing were possible.

Ty hesitated before entering. In the total silence, his voice seemed unnaturally loud as he asked, "So what now?"

"We climb up," Ember replied, her voice echoing in a cascade of whispers, rushing away and trampling each other as they raced up the interior of the ancient obelisk, away into the depths of the darkness.

Up, and up, and up. Up the thin, creaking ladder. Ember didn't dare to look at the contraption she was placing her hands on; she'd made the mistake before. The pearly white material could not be mistaken for anything other than what it was. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to keep climbing up the rickety ladder of bone.

"Ember?" Ty whispered after almost two minutes of climbing. "I—are we almost done?"

"We're about a third of the way up."

She didn't turn around to look down at him, but she knew he nodded and heard him swallow hard.

**_That was his pride._**

_Excuse me?_

**_He had to swallow his ego. That's why it was hard._**

_I don't get it._

**_He's terrified_****. **There was a distinct note of satisfaction in Zariah's mental voice. **_And he knows you know._**

After a few more minutes of climbing through the darkness, Ember realized that Ty was practically hyperventilating. "E-Em… are w-we d-done yet?" he almost sobbed. She could hear the sheer panic in his voice. Yep. Terrified.

"Almost there," she called to him, the echoes from her voice waterfalling down in a river of hopeful murmurs.

A few seconds later, she hit her head on something hard. Stifling a curse, Ember reached up, searching for the latch of the trapdoor. The strap was half-rotted and barely held as she tugged it, ducking out of the way of the heavy iron porthole.

The fresh air was wonderful to smell after the dank mustiness of the decrepit tower, and Ember pulled herself onto the roof of the pillar without a trace of regret for leaving the dusty murk of its inner sanctum. Ty surged up after her, collapsing onto the obsidian surface with a deep sigh of relief.

"Are you okay?" she asked, glancing at him. A chill breeze ruffled Ember's hair and made her wrap her wings tightly around herself.

Ty was panting, and she, with her fine-tuned hearing, could actually detect the rapid thudding of his heart. "No. I hate the dark and I hate tight spaces and I'm just finding out that I really don't like heights. This has to be one of the worst moments of my life."

**_It's going to get worse_****, **Zariah almost sing-songed.

_I kind of feel bad for him._

**_No, don't. This is going to be fun._**

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><p><strong>Oh, poor Ty. I know what's going to happen! Ha! Ha! Muahahahahaha!<strong>

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><p><strong>Here are the statistics for character favorites! You guys can vote again; choose up to two people this time!<strong>

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><p><strong>AradynRogue: 1**

**Zariah/Ember: 1**

**Rosewing/Crimson: 1**

**Wispice/Mint: 1**

**Eguire/Ty: 2**

**Herobrine: 0**

**Seto: 0**

**Mitch: 2**

**Sky: 2**

**Jason: 1**

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><p><strong>By the way, this may or may not affect who's alive or dead at the end of the story. Just saying.<strong>

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><p><strong>SOTC: "Secrets" by Mary Lambert.<strong>


	27. It's Easy Pt: 2 (Ty)

Ty gulped in the fresh air thirstily, falling against the flat, cold surface of the tower. He was exhausted. It had been terrifying to climb in the dark for what felt like hours, going ever higher without an end in sight—or anything else in sight, for that matter.

"Are you okay?" Ember asked, wrapping her purple wings around herself tightly as a breeze blew past them. Ty flinched and pressed against the stone harder. He didn't want to fall off.

"No. I hate the dark and I hate tight spaces and I'm just finding out that I really don't like heights." He paused to catch his breath. "This has to be one of the worst moments of my life."

Ember's lips quirked up slightly in what might have been a smile. "Zariah, you… Never mind."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing," she assured him hurriedly. "Stand up."

"What?"

"Stand up. You can't fly if you're hugging the ground."

Ty slowly peeled himself of the ground, swaying as he stood. Every whisper of the howling wind that whipped across the Ender plains was a new reason to be anywhere but on this column. "Do you ever get scared?" he asked tremulously.

"Of flying? Never."

"Good, because I'm not," Ty said with a hopefully disdainful shrug. However, a gust of wind came at that moment, sending him staggering. Luckily he managed to stifle most of his shriek of panic.

Most of it.

Ember grinned at him now. "Of course you're not. Come over here." She sat down on the edge of the obsidian pillar, dangling her legs over the side.

"Are you going to push me off?"

Her face was indignant. "Ty, why would I do that? You'd have no idea what you were doing. Except falling."

He searched Ember's eyes, and slowly made his halting, stutter-stepping way to her. Biting his lip to keep back the internal voice that was screaming the madness of this decision, Ty sat down on the ledge beside her. "Now what?"

"So, you can feel your wings, right?" Without waiting for his reply, she reached around him and touched his wing's edge. Her fingertip was soft as it skimmed like a feather across his wing.

"Yeah."

**_Why are we going through this? I already know how to fly._**

_Well, I don't._

**_Then let me have control._**

_You don't even know what a hand is. Why the hell would I give you complete control of my body?_

**_Because I'm your friend_****, **Eguire said. Ty imagined the dragon's pleading eyes so clearly that he wasn't sure if he was actually seeing them or not.

_We're allies, remember? Not friends._

Ember snapped her fingers under his nose. "Ty? You there?"

"Oh! Oh, yeah. I was just—" He gestured at his head.

She nodded. "Right. Can you _move_ your wings?"

He raised the giant folds of leathery green skin slightly in response.

"Good. Now, extend them all the way."

"What'll happen?"

"The wind will blow you over the edge, and then you'll glide out a little ways and turn around and come back."

Ty swallowed hard. For the first time, he looked down. Immediately he wished he hadn't. The creamy stone hills of the End were dizzyingly far away, at least two hundred meters down from where he sat on the precipice.

"Can you go first, and show me how it works?" he asked, playing for time.

Ember seemed to see right through his ploy, but nodded anyway. "Don't move."

Her wings whipped out just as another burst of wind came. The momentum carried her out a few meters, and then she rolled over to face him. Her enormous wings beat the air as she hovered. "See? It's easy." She folded her wings and plummeted, and Ty cried out in sudden panic, leaning over to try to see her.

She smiled as her wings flared out, acting like a parachute and slowing her fall. Ember hung there in the air for a few seconds, appearing motionless, and then she surged upwards. Ty fell back against the obsidian as her wings beat down, flattening him with their personal tornado.

The next thing he knew, she was sitting beside him, her wings nestling up tightly against her shoulder blades, looking as though nothing had happened. "It's no big deal. Just glide, turn around, and come back."

"I—" Ty looked down again and almost choked. The ground seemed to rush up towards him, and he pulled back in terror, his heart racing. "I can't."

"I thought you weren't scared," Ember teased.

"Yeah, well, forget that, because I'm about to panic!" he shrilled, his voice an octave and a half higher than usual. He pulled away from the edge and retreated towards the center of the column's peak, as far away from the edge as he could get.

"Ty…"

"No! I'm not going to do it!"

"Okay! That's fine! Just… just calm down."

Ty took a deep breath as Ember approached him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I… How am I supposed to fly? I mean… I have wings, but… how can I not fall if I jump? It's just too far away!"

She rubbed his shoulder soothingly. "You won't fall."

"Yes, I will!"

"Would it help if I come with you? I can catch you."

Ty thought it over. "Maybe."

"It's fun, Ty, just try it."

"It's insane!" he protested.

Ember sighed. "Just come to the edge and take a deep breath. It'll calm you down."

"The _edge_?" Ty's voice squeaked up another octave. "No thanks!"

"You're really terrified, aren't you?"

"For a good reason!"

"Don't wuss out, Ty."

"I am not 'wussing out!'" he protested.

"You are," Ember smirked.

"Fine! Fine! I'll come to the edge if it makes you feel better, but I am _not_ going to jump off this tower." Ty glanced at her as he walked slowly to the edge. Her stare made him feel slightly uncomfortable, her purple eyes narrowed as she watched him. "Will you make sure I don't fall off?" he pleaded.

She nodded and stepped up beside him. Ty was breathing hard as he stared down at the ground.

"Ty?"

"Yeah?" He turned to look at her nervously.

"You know how I said I wouldn't push you off?"

"What do you mean?"

"I lied." Ember looked completely unapologetic as she thrust her hands against his chest, sending him over the edge. "Don't worry, just fly!"

"I hate you!" Ty screamed as he tumbled head over heels down, down, down to the stone surface of the End.

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><p><strong>Yep, a double update, because I'm just that awesome. Y'all know it. Don't forget to vote for people! Yay!<strong>

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><p><strong>SOTC: "Wings" by Little Mix.<strong>


	28. Free Fall (Ember)

"I hate you!" Ty howled as he fell.

**_Why don't we do stuff like that more often? It's fun._**

Ember ignored Zariah and watched Ty fall. Hopefully he wouldn't panic, and he'd use his wings. So far, though, that didn't appear to be happening. Ty was thrashing in terror, his wings whipping around wildly.

That didn't mean there wasn't time to change that. Ember had chosen the ancient obelisk as a training ground simply because it was so tall that there would be time for Ty to learn how to fly before he hit the ground. Ember paced back and forth from the edge to the center of the pillar. He should figure out his wings any time now, and then he'd probably want to punch her.

Ember sighed. Maybe it was a bit of a rash decision to push him off. But then again, it had been how she'd learned, as Zariah wasn't exactly willing to coach her.

_The small girl stared at Herobrine. Her petite lavender colored wings fluttered nervously, and her bright blue eyes were huge and terrified. "You want me to jump?"_

_"Yes, Emma. It's the only way you'll learn, after all."_

_"But Zari's not going to help me. She told me!"_

_"Well, that's why you should learn to do this on your own."_

_"But I'm scared. I don't want to jump," the girl protested. "I won't be able to fly!"_

_"Yes, you will," the god said gently. "I promise you you'll fly."_

_The girl shook her head stubbornly, her lower lip sticking out petulantly. "I'm not going to jump!"_

_"Emma…"_

_"I won't, I won't, I won't!" The girl stamped her foot. Her chest was heaving as she started to hyperventilate, both scared and indignant._

_"You will!" Herobrine growled._

_"But I—"_

_Herobrine gave her a shove, and the girl squeaked, pitching forward and tumbling over the edge. The dark god sat down to wait._

_A few moments later, the girl rose over the edge of the obsidian pillar, her purple wings beating furiously. "This is so awesome!" she shouted happily. Alighting on the edge, she impulsively ran forward and hugged Herobrine, who gingerly disentangled himself from the small child. "What will we do next, Hero?" she asked, blue eyes no longer terrified but worshipful, her trust in the god unshaken by the fact that he had just pushed her off of the obsidian tower._

_"You'll practice flying. I have business to do."_

_Her face fell. "Okay. I thought you might stay and play for a while."_

_"No, Emma. I'm busy. But I might bring you a friend when I come back."_

_"You mean it?" she asked._

_"I do," he promised. "Now don't forget to practice!"_

_"I won't!" she vowed as the god vanished._

Ember opened her eyes, slipping out of the memory. Oh, yes. She was waiting for Ty.

He should have come back by now.

Suddenly concerned, Ember dived forward, folding her wings in tightly to gain maximum speed. Her hair was whipped back in a tornado around her face as she plummeted like a meteor towards the cream colored ground. Idly, she wondered what color grease spot she'd be if she didn't manage to pull up in time. Purple, most likely, a lavender smudge on the infinite canvas of the Ender plains.

At the last second, she snapped her wings out, pulling out of her dive and soaring upwards towards the dark sky. No sign of Ty, although that was probably a good thing. It meant he wasn't a smashed insect on the window pane of the world.

Ember retracted one wing partway, spinning herself around to face the obsidian pillar. "Ty, where are you?" she called worriedly.

A small whimper answered her, though whether it was the wind or the boy was impossible to tell.

"Ty!"

Suddenly, she saw him. He was pressed flat against the wall of the ancient tower, about a third of the way down. Somehow, he wasn't falling. Ember flew closer. "Are you okay?" she asked, hovering nearby.

He twisted his head around to stare at her. His pupils were huge, and she could hear his heart pumping rapidly, thumping its panic against the prison of his chest. "Why did you do that?" Ty whimpered.

Now that she was closer, she realized that he'd dug his front claws into the stone and was hanging on like a treed cat over an icy river. His arms were rigid and trembling from the strain of holding on. "Oh, geez, Ty. You could have just flown, you know."

He hissed as she came nearer. "_Don't_ do that ever again. As soon as I get off of here, I'm going to make you pay."

**_How terrifying._**

_Exactly._

"And how do you plan on getting off?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"I'll climb down and then murder you."

"You might want to start with _looking_ down," she suggested, feeling Zariah's mind pressing on hers, guiding her speech.

Ty did so and blanched, his face whitening even further. When he met her eyes again, his green ones were wild with fear. "Alright. I hate you even more now. Get me out of here, and I won't kill you."

"How do you expect _me_ to get you down?"

"You mean you _can't_?" Ty almost wailed.

"Look, Ty, you just have to let go and relax. You'll know what to do."

"Ember!" he howled in impotent rage.

"You're bigger than me. I can't exactly carry you," she pointed out.

"I'm not letting go! Ever!"

"Ty, you have to. It's the only way. You'll use your wings and fly, if you can just relax."

His arms trembled; his entire body quaked. Ty's green wings fluttered, and his tail lashed furiously as his pleading gaze met Ember's purple eyes. "There has to be something else."

"There isn't, Ty, trust me."

Ty swallowed hard. "How did _you_ learn? To fly, I mean."

"Herobrine pushed me off this tower."

"How old were you?"

"Six."

He stared at her. "It worked?"

"I'm talking to you, right?"

"I guess so…"

"Ty, if you just let go and fly to the ground, I promise that I won't bother you about flying again."

"Ever?"

"I will never _ever _bother you about learning to fly again. Okay?" She just had to get him off the wall at this point. Desperate measures seemed to be necessary.

He gulped. "I—okay."

"Now let go."

Ty's arms spasmed, and for a second his grip seemed to loosen. Then he sighed. "I can't."

Zariah growled at that moment, her frustration boiling over. **"Just go!"** Ember snarled, lunging at him. With an 'eep' of strangled fear, Ty fell away from the wall, spinning out of control towards the ground. She tucked her wings in and dived after him.

**_That worked._**

_Yeah, great, and now he's in terrified free-fall._

"W—what do I do?" Ty called desperately.

"Glide!"

They were a hundred meters above the ground.

Seventy.

Fifty.

Twenty-five.

Five.

"This is freaking awesome!" Ty screamed as he pulled out of the dive.

* * *

><p><strong>Yup. That's cool. Ty likes flying. Flying likes Ty. That's logic.<strong>

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><p><strong>First of all, I need to say something: HOLY CRAP!<strong>

**This story has received 100 reviews. 100! That is insane. **

**When I started writing, I didn't think that anyone would actually read this. I thought that I had no chance of actually getting (dare I say it?) fans. Now there are people who read my stories, and like them, and tell me that they like them. This is INSANE. I'm just a regular girl writing stories. And I have 100 reviews. *BRAIN EXPLODES***

**So, I want to thank you guys for that. Without the support that I've gotten, I don't think that I would have been able to dig deep with all the stuff that goes on in my crazy life and continue writing. Thank you guys so much! Internet cookies for all!**

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><p><strong>cookiecookiecookiecookiecookie<br>cookiecookie(::)(::)(::)cookiecoo  
>cookiecoo(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)cookie<br>cookiec(::)(::)cookie(::)(::)cooki  
>cookie(::)(::)cookiecookiecookie<br>cookie(::)(::)cookiecookiecookie  
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>cookiecoo(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)cookie<br>cookiecookie(::)(::)(::)cookiecoo  
>cookiecookiecookiecookiecookie<strong>

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><p><strong>Here are the character point totals! Y'all can keep voting (only two people)! Remember, this helps me figure out who lives and who dies! Hahahahahaha! (And I'm not necessarily killing them because they're lowest.) (Just saying.) (It's a mostly arbitrary system.)<strong>

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><p><strong>AradynRogue: 2**

**Zariah/Ember: 2**

**Rosewing/Crimson: 1**

**Wispice/Mint: 1**

**Eguire/Ty: 4**

**Herobrine: 1**

**Seto: 2**

**Mitch: 3**

**Sky: 2**

**Jason: 2**

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><p><strong>SOTC: 'Everytime' by Britney Spears. I don't think I used this already... <strong>**_Everytime I try to fly/I fall without my wings... _****It felt right.**


	29. Out Of Here (Ty)

Ember broke her fall by whipping out her wings and flapping until she was level with him. "Am I forgiven?"

He laughed and flew away from her, diving and soaring up again. Ty felt amazing, energized by the adrenaline rush that had flooded him seconds before. He couldn't even imagine the panic he'd felt moments ago anymore. Flying was the coolest thing since frosted cake. Flying was pure joy. Flying was unfiltered excitement.

Flying was perfection.

Ty beat his strong wings, rising above Ember. With a slight jolt of pride, he realized that he could fly faster than her, his wings being even larger than hers. She was small, he saw, small and seemingly fragile to his power. He slowed long enough for her to catch up.

"I'm faster than you," Ty felt the need to point out.

She snorted. "Bragger. Maybe in straight flight, but I bet I can beat you to the top of the tower."

He blinked, confused. "How?"

"You'll see," Ember promised. "Ready?"

"Hell yeah. Go!" Ty flapped down as hard as he could, sending himself rising quickly.

_How could she beat us? We're stronger._

**_I don't know. But she is more experienced._**

_That won't make her faster. _Ty glanced down and saw that Ember was circling the obsidian column, not really rising at all. What was she doing?

He was almost two thirds of the way up the tower when he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. Ember was flying at breakneck speed, passing Ty swiftly. She glided in a spiral around the top of the tower like some enormous vulture before settling out of sight on the peak of the pillar.

Shit. That was disappointing. Ty made it to the top, the muscles in his wings aching from the strain. "How did you do that?" he asked her, gasping for air.

Ember was standing, hands on her hips, in the middle of the tower, an easy smirk on her face. "That's just something you'll have to figure out. You're tired, aren't you?"

"Yeah. But seriously, though, how did you beat me?"

"Years of experience. I know not to just try to fly straight up."

"But how—

"Not telling. Now what do you want to do?"

That was an interesting question. Ty hadn't really thought to make plans. "How long have we been out here?"

"Maybe three hours."

"Three hours?"

"Yeah. But it doesn't really matter. _Time_ doesn't really matter down here. So what should we do?"

He wondered at her word choice. "_We_?"

"Unless you planned on getting yourself hopelessly lost and maybe encountering a wild dragon, yes. Why don't I show you around? Then you'll be able to get away from me." Something in her tone was almost hurt, buried under the sarcasm.

"Actually…" Ty hesitated. "Could I… could I visit Jason? And Mitch? And Sky?"

Ember winced, but nodded. "Fine. Follow me." Without another word, she dove off the tower. He ran to the edge and jumped after her, his wings flaring out with a snap and jolt of pain.

**_Why'd you do that? There's a better way._**

_Care to tell?_

**_Relax your mind. I'll show you_****, **the dragon promised.

With a certain amount of trepidation, Ty obeyed.

As though from a distance, he felt as Eguire manipulated his wings, leveling their flight and easing them out of the dive. And then he was soaring up, up and up on a gust of wind until he was right beside Ember.

**_There. More finesse. Less… this. _**Eguire conveyed a wild picture of flailing arms and wings, and Ty realized that that was what he must have looked like.

_Umm… thanks?_

**_Not a problem._**

"Ty… are you sure you want to do this?" Ember asked after a moment. They'd already flown a fair distance over the seemingly infinite cream-colored stones.

He spun around to glare at her. "Why would I not? They're my friends."

"Because…" Ember swallowed, then folded her wings, diving for the ground.

Ty followed her, curious. "Why, Ember?"

She landed on a small boulder, her wings folding against her shoulder blades as she sat down. He landed and sat beside her. "Are you going to tell me?"

"Because… Ty, the humans don't like us. They don't trust people who are different. Their fear blinds them to everything else. Ty, they… they might hate you for what you've become."

He scoffed. "They're my friends. People don't go back on friendships for things like that."

"Do you really think a human could be so rational? You have wings. Claws. Fangs. A tail. The only thing that their small minds will be able to hold is terror and hate. To them, you're a monster."

"Humans aren't stupid!"

"They're simpleminded compared to us. Practically automatons of basic emotions."

"You didn't seem to mind that when you were kissing Sky," was all Ty could think to say.

Ember turned to glare at him. "Leave him out of this. It was my mission to bring him here. That was the most efficient way to complete it."

Ty stared at her. "Yeah, right. You liked him. You still do, but you're too much of a coward to do anything about it. You could let him go if you wanted to. You love him, you coward!"

"Shut up." In her coldness was more danger than if she'd shouted, for it meant that she was trying to restrain Zariah.

At the moment, though, he didn't care. Ty felt a surge of hate towards her. How could he have been acting the part of her friend? She was a monster, and for a little while, he'd forgotten. No more. No more would he pretend to be friends with the traitor who had taken his normal life away from him, who worked for the god of evil, and who was too spineless to even admit that she still loved Sky.

"Forget it, Ember. You'll never understand, because you aren't human. You're a monster." He jumped into the air, the wind from his wings flattening her against the ground. "And I'm out of here."

"Ty!" she yelled. "You—no—ah—**die!**—no—**yes**—we won't—**kill him!**"

He heard a ripping sound but didn't bother to turn around. He was faster than her in straight flight; she'd said it herself. Ty kept flying. Eventually he'd find the prison, and then he'd let his friends go. And then he would leave this horrid place.

* * *

><p><strong>Mmkay. Brilliance, Ty, brilliance. Pissing off Ember. Great plan. Brilliance, sheer brilliance, you freaking IDIOT!<strong>

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><p><strong>Sorry about this being a sort of filler chapter; I hope you guys enjoyed, despite my horrible authorness.<strong>

**Also, something serious- did any of y'all notice Adam's err... breakdown? Poor dude. I've been feeling that way before, so... yeah. #HugsForSky! In fact, #HugsForTheWorld. We could all do with a few more hugs, amiright? Imsoright. Imalwaysright. Now back to my usual healthy level of insanity.**

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><p><strong>Here are character ratings! Remember to vote! Yayayayayayayay death yayayay!<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>AradynRogue: 2**

**Zariah/Ember: 3**

**Rosewing/Crimson: 2**

**Wispice/Mint: 2**

**Eguire/Ty: 5**

**Herobrine: 1**

**Seto: 2**

**Mitch: 5**

**Sky: 3**

**Jason: 2**

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><p><strong>SOTC: "On My Own" by Miley Cyrus. This is one of my favorite songs of all time.<strong>

**_You will never listen/ _**

**_When I need someone to talk to/_**

**_ So you switch the subject cause/ _**

**_Cause it's beyond you... _**

**Awesome meaning; y'all should take a listen. Das it. Author's note done.**


	30. Not My Fault (Ember)

"Ty!" Ember yelled, feeling the purple haze of rage come over her vision, clouding her thoughts. "You—no—ah—**die!**—no—**yes**—we won't—**kill him!**"

Zariah crowed as Ember succumbed to the pure anger. She would kill the upstart young dragon, rip him apart bit by bit. She would make him suffer, make him die slowly. He would beg for mercy and she would never give it. But first she had to catch him. He flew too fast, she knew. Ember's smaller wings couldn't match his speed in this race.

So she'd change.

Ember stifled a roar of pain as the dragon's form inside of her ripped out, black wings overwhelming hers and tearing her entire back apart. Her body was practically shredded into tatters as Zariah's massive form expanded out of her, black scales covering every inch of the dragon that she'd become.

It hurt a lot, but at the same time felt good. There was so much more power in her now than in the feeble human body. She roared her triumph to the sky and jumped into the air, the many tons of her black coils snaking behind her as her wings beat powerfully, sending her rushing after Ty.

Ember could smell him now, smell the scent of her prey, and her eyes narrowed, trying to spot him. Where was he…?

Oh yes. There. She could see the small boy and growled, the sound vibrating up through her chest. Her neck stretched out hungrily, her lips pulling back to reveal the white teeth that could pass for swords. **"Hold ssstill," **Ember almost purred. **"Hold ssssstill sso I can kill you more easssily."**

He wheeled around, staring at her in horror. She laughed at the terror in his green eyes as they traced across the immensity of her black body. "Ember!"

**"She isss gone." **Ember swiped at the boy with her paw, hoping to knock him out of the sky. Ty folded his wings in and dropped just out of reach.

She snarled in rage, feeling the fire in her stomach rise to her throat. That would work. Ember opened her mouth, sending a torrent of purple flame bubbling over her jaws and down towards her victim.

Ty darted out of the way, diving under Ember's wings to escape the burning conflagration of her wrath. "Ember! I'm sorry! Please stop!"

**"But I'm having fun,"** she protested, rolling over. Her wing scooped him up, throwing him into the air as she completed her barrel roll. Ember laughed at his yelp of pain as her enormous wing battered him. **"I don't want to ssstop."**

He flew, fueled only by his panic it seemed. She chuckled again and lashed out with a gigantic paw, swatting him so hard that she felt some of the bones snap inside her toy. Ty spiraled down to the ground with a cry of pain. His wing was broken, Ember realized. That was convenient.

She landed near him, where he lay on his back, sobbing in pain and fright as he tried to scramble away from her. Ember bared her teeth in a smile. **"I do not intend to kill you. Yet."**

Ty hissed. "G-get a-away from m-me," he stammered. His defiance would have been more impressive if he hadn't given a cry of pain.

Ember growled thoughtfully. What should she do with her terrified pet? Something to make him suffer. How? Ah, yes.

**"Sssstand up," **she snarled, her claws carving gouges into the stone as she batted him onto his feet. Ty stumbled, groaning as he put weight on his injured limbs. Green blood streamed down his forehead and stained his shirt.

"What…? What do you want?"

**"We are going to play a game. I'm going to give you a few ssssecondsss to run, and then I will…" **She paused, savoring his fear and apprehension. **"Let'sss jusst sssay you'll want to run."**

Something was wrong, though. Why was she doing this? Because…

_Zariah!_ Ember screamed internally.

**_Silence. You can't stop me._**

_You can't do this! You'll kill him!_

**_Oh dear. That's horrible. I care why? Shut up if you know what's good for you._**

_STOP!_

**_Nah. You can watch, though. This is going to be fun._**

Ember swallowed. _Please, Z._

**_No._**

Ty had started running already. Oh well. That would make this game last longer. She'd get to feed on his fear longer. She could smell it; the sharp scent of his panic mixing with the pungent odor of pine. It was delicious.

Ember loped along the ground, her wings making each bound forward carry her even farther. Her long tail lashed along the ground, sweeping up clouds of dust. Her prey had almost reached the obelisk. She didn't want him to get to it. That would make this so much harder so as to barely be worth her time.

She took a deep breath and then exhaled, the purple flames falling just short of her target. Damn. That was obnoxious. Ty was limping badly but still running, his adrenaline carrying him forward. She could hear his ragged breathing; hear his rapid heartbeat; hear his frantic footfalls thudding against the ground with as much speed as possible.

Oh no. Ember howled in frustration as Ty fled through the tiny door into the obsidian tower. She padded to a halt outside it and roared again in sheer rage.

How could she get to him now? She could still hear his heart racing inside the tower as he cowered in petrified fear. Ember released a spray of angry flame, heating the obsidian to the point where it glowed softly. Hmm…

Ember dug her front talons into the almost butter-soft rock and tore a chunk out, the molten stone pooling at her feet. **"Come out if you'd like to play a sssecond round,"** she teased. **"You won't sssurvive otherwisse."**

"I'm not stupid!" he called back.

She growled and tore another chunk of stone away from the tower, exposing her cornered prey. Ty pressed back against the wall, raising his hands up in a futile effort to protect his face. Ember grinned toothily at him. **"Thanksssss for playing, then."** The fire bubbled up in her throat.

Ty's eyes widened. "Ember, look out—" he started to say, and then a crushing weight smashed into her side.

Ember cried out as the entire tower crashed down onto her.

_Zariah!_

**_Not my fault! _**the dragon mentally howled, relinquishing control to Ember as the tower shattered most of the bones in their body.

With the last lingering shred of her consciousness, Ember shifted into her hybrid form, screaming in agony as she fell down, the tower on top of her broken, battered body.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that just happened.<strong>

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><p><strong>Here are character standings! Yay! Vote please! IT IS A MATTER OF LIFE AND SLEEPING WITH THE FISHIES!<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>AradynRogue: 2**

**Zariah/Ember: 3**

**Rosewing/Crimson: 2**

**Wispice/Mint: 2**

**Eguire/Ty: 5**

**Herobrine: 1**

**Seto: 3**

**Mitch: 6**

**Sky: 3**

**Jason: 2**

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><p><strong>SOTC: "Problem" by Natalia Kills. <strong>**_That girl/Is a goddamn problem... _****Yup. Zariah, I'm looking at you.**


	31. I Totally Don't Care, I Swear (Ty)

Ty covered his head as the tower collapsed around him, falling onto the enormous black dragon. She wailed, her bulk melting away into the small, fragile form of Ember as the stones piled further onto her.

The stones weren't falling on Ty because it was only the top ninety percent that had been destabilized by Ember's—Zariah's—digging. He supposed he should be grateful for that as he pressed his back against the wall, more rocks falling onto Ember, who wasn't completely crushed only because two boulders had formed a sort of hollow that protected the lifeless girl from the worst of the pressure.

**_You should help her! _**Eguire growled.

_Yeah, well, it's her fault._

**Zariah's****_ fault. Not Ember's._**

_Whatever. _Secretly, though, Ty did feel a little bad, watching the rocks pile around Ember's unconscious body.

Unconscious or dead.

**_Ty, you have to._**

_No, I don't!_

**_She's going to die!_**

_Big deal_, Ty thought, resting his aching head against the wall. He glanced again at Ember's body, and another wave of guilt wracked his body. He wasn't a murderer. How could he let her die?

**_Do you want to fight with her forever? _**Eguire pressed.

_If she dies then we _can't _fight._

**_Could you live with yourself? Ty, if you help her now, she won't forget it._**

_I don't care._

Eguire went silent for a moment. **_Just do it, Ty. She'll find a way to pay you back._**

_Yeah, I still don't care._

**_Then you are a heartless monster with an unfortunate degree of stubbornness that won't let you accept a mutually beneficial arrangement_****, **Eguire said with curt finality.

Ty sighed, then picked himself up and crossed to where Ember lay. His every movement made the soreness of every broken bone ten times worse. _I hope you're happy, you persistent pain in the ass._

**_That's better than being a heartless monster with an unfort—_**

_I heard you the first time, actually._ Grumpily, Ty struggled to pull Ember out from under the rocks. She cried out, still unconscious, as he managed to dislodge her foot and pull her towards the center of the bowl-like form that had been created. _There. I've done enough helping now. Happy?_

**_More so than before._**

It was very good, at least for Ember, that Ty had chosen to listen to Eguire, because at that moment, one of the remaining tower walls collapsed inward, crashing onto the spot that she had just occupied and sealing them in total darkness. With no way out.

Ty glanced at Ember's unmoving form, still visible in the pitch blackness with his enhanced vision. Her hair was spread in a halo around her deathly white face, her wings crumpled and visibly broken in many places. Purple blood soaked her foot, which had been pinned under a boulder. In short, she didn't look so great.

He wasn't much better off, though. About half of his ribs had been snapped when Zariah had struck him, and most of his skin was scorched from her searing breath. When he coughed, green blood came away in his hand. Ty didn't know much about medicine, but he did know that coughing blood wasn't exactly a sign of perfect health.

_Eg? Any ideas about how to fix these injuries up?_

**_No. _**

_Will anyone come for us?_

**_I hope so. They should. We did just knock down a giant tower._**

_That does have its plusses._

**_Not many._**

_I didn't _say_ there were many._

**_Good._**

Ty cried out in sudden, sharp pain as something twisted in his chest. What?

He waited with bated breath as something creaked again, wrenching the muscle. "Ah!" It hurt a lot (an understatement), the pain making him clench his fists and bite his lip to keep from howling. His unbroken wing flared out spasmodically, flapping wildly as Ty gave in and screamed a wordless cry of pain.

And then, just as quickly, it ended, with another snap and cracking sound. He fell back against the wall, breathing hard. _What was that?_

**_I don't know._**

_Well, that's helpful._

**_There's no need to be rude_****, **the dragon rebuked him mildly.

Ty pressed his hand to his chest as the pain returned, and froze. Something was moving, moving under the skin and muscle. With a jolt, he realized that it was the bone. There was another cracking noise, and this time he felt the pain from his cracked rib abate.

_I'm healing_, he thought, dumbfounded. _How is this happening?_

**_It must be one of our powers._**

Ty lay back, alternating between gritting his teeth in pain and sighing in relief as the shattered bones repaired themselves. By the time the healing was done, though, he felt much better. Both of his wings were whole again, all the cuts and contusions had vanished, and his bones were repaired. Yes. It was much, much better.

_That's a really good power to have_, he thought to Eguire.

He couldn't see, but he knew the dragon was nodding. **_It is._**

Ember stirred slightly, and Ty looked down at her. Her long black eyelashes tangled as she blinked, opening her bright amethyst eyes. "Am I dead?" she whispered.

"No," Ty informed Ember. Her eyes widened as she found him with her gaze, and she struggled to sit up. He caught her shoulders and held her still. "Stop. You'll hurt yourself."

She sighed, letting him push her back against the stone. Ember's purple stare was intense, Ty realized, and he looked away somewhat self-consciously, feeling his tail smack against the stones. Finally, she spoke, her voice raw and hoarse. "You saved my life."

"Well… yeah."

"Thank you," Ember said simply, resting her head on his leg and closing her eyes.

Awkwardly, he reached out and stroked her hair, hoping to soothe her, blood soaking his fingers as he did so. "No problem." Ty felt her pulse under his fingertips. It was slow and weak, but still there. She sighed and snuggled against him a little harder, and he shivered. Ember was like ice. "Are you warm enough?"

"No," she admitted.

"Then come here," he ordered, hauling her up so that she was sitting and wrapping a wing around her, folding Ember's chill body against his warmth. She nuzzled her nose into his neck, sighing in relief as her frigid form started to warm up, and he caught a whiff of her sweet, beautiful jasmine scent.

"So why are you being so nice to me?" Ember asked as she leaned against him, wincing as her broken wing bumped his whole one. Holy Notch, she smelled fantastic. Ty rested his head on top of hers, breathing in her fragrance, breathing in the intoxicating aroma. Maybe it wasn't smart to let himself be so close to what was practically a poison, but he didn't care.

"I don't know," he confessed. "I guess I thought maybe… we could try being… you know, not enemies."

"Allies?"

"Allies," he agreed. "We don't work so well as enemies." In fact, they usually ended up in near-fatal situations.

"A good point," she murmured, her head resting on his shoulder. Ty felt oddly protective of her at that moment as he tightened his wing around her bruised and broken form, keeping her close. "So allies it is."

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><p><strong>Sorry for leaving y'all on a bit of a cliffie before this update... I've been busy working on two new stories.<strong>

**Yes.**

**TWO.**

**NEW.**

**SSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTOOOORRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!**

**GO SHAMELESS PLUG TIME! I'M JUST CURIOUS THO! Y'ALL CAN SKIP THIS IF YA WANT!  
><strong>

**One is... well, no spoilers, but one is an Enderlox fic, with Sky as this nerdy scientist who's obsessed with Ender Hybrids, and the other is one that I came up with while procrastinating on the update(:3). It's a sort of drama from Seto's POV, set in a world governed by the mysterious Captain, who is hunting down sorcerers. That first one is probably going to be rated T, for violence, and the Seto one (Seto is love, Seto for life... Hell, Seto _is_ life)(Yes. I'm a diehard Seto fangirl. Deal with it.) will probably be rated M, because I'm paranoid about the torture type stuff. I NO WRITING SMUT! I SWEAR!**

**So... which would y'all want me to start posting first? TELL MEH! ENDERLOX OR SETO!****  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Here are le votes, keep up le voting!<strong>

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><p><strong>AradynRogue: 2**

**Zariah/Ember: 4**

**Rosewing/Crimson: 2**

**Wispice/Mint: 2**

**Eguire/Ty: 8**

**Herobrine: 1**

**Seto: 4**

**Mitch: 8**

**Sky: 5**

**Jason: 2**

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><p><strong>SOTC: "The Only Exception" by Paramore<strong>


	32. Waiting (Sky)

"Sky!"

The voice sounded oddly familiar. Sky raised his head, glancing across the hallway into Mitch's cell.

Mitch! "You're awake!" he cried happily, jumping to his feet.

"Yeah! Have you guys come up with an escape plan?" he called excitedly.

Sky opened his mouth and closed it, hoping a more encouraging word than 'no' would be stated by someone. "Well… I haven't, but maybe Jason has? Jason?"

The brunette sat up so fast that he almost crashed into Sky. "Huh? What's going on?"

"You have an escape plan, right?" Mitch said.

Jason rubbed his eyes and glared at Sky. "What did you tell him?"

"Nothing. We just were hoping."

"No. Why would I have an escape plan? Because I'm the smartest?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Mitch said with a shrug. Sky glowered at him. Jason was _not_ the smartest. Maybe. The PVP-er grinned at Sky's infuriated expression.

"Well, I don't. All I can think about is wanting food," Jason growled.

"You called?" Aradyn called. The three of them wheeled as one unit to face the girl. She was in her hybrid form, with her blue wings trailing across the ground like a cape. Of course, the first thing that Sky noticed was that she was carrying food.

So he could hardly be blamed for jumping to the bars and making his best puppy eyes. Jason gave him a scathing look, and then followed suit. Mitch glared at them both, mouthed 'suck-ups,' and then dropped to his knees and made the most disgustingly cute Bambi eyes that any of them had seen.

Aradyn's pale lips twitched in amusement at the display. "Would I be correct in guessing that you guys are hungry?"

"Yes!" Mitch shouted pleadingly. "Gimme food!"

Sky's stomach growled plaintively. Jason, who must be literally starving by now, whimpered slightly.

"Okay. I've got food, but first I need to ask—are any of you going to join us?"

"Oh, so that's the catch? We have to turn into dragon hybrids to get something to eat?" Jason said, suddenly and very obviously pissed off.

Aradyn blinked. "I was just curious…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's this new shit about?" Mitch asked. Sky remembered that he must not have heard about Herobrine's plan.

"Jason can fill you in on the details. Basically, you guys are going to fuse your souls with dragons, become awesome like me, and serve Herobrine for when we take over the world."

"We agreed to that?" Mitch shrieked, spinning around to gape at Jason and Sky.

"No! Aradyn _thinks_ we will, but she's wrong," Sky assured him.

"And _that_ is where _you_ are wrong," said a new voice, one that was smoother than silk and had a sharper edge than a diamond sword. Herobrine.

The god seemed to glide over the ground as he entered, Seto trailing in his footsteps like a dog that knows it's done something bad but can't quite remember what. The sorcerer was, if possible, even paler than usual as he took up his usual spot in the shadows near the wall.

"So which of you will be the first to join us?" Herobrine asked.

Jason suggested another potential use for his time besides antagonizing the trio of prisoners.

Herobrine's white eyes flashed, and a haze of red flame enveloped Jason, who cried out in agony. Aradyn flinched, Sky noticed, flinched as Jason screamed, trying to escape the fire. Then, as quickly as it had begun, the fire was out, leaving Jason panting on the floor of his cell. He wrapped his arms around his body, shivering.

"Are you okay?" Aradyn asked, concern writ on her face.

Jason glared at her as he hauled himself to his feet. "I'm fine, no thanks to you."

"Jase…"

"Enough, Aradyn," Herobrine said coolly. "He misbehaved. That was his own fault. But you won't do that again, will you?" he asked, the last part directed at Jason.

Jason scowled at the god, then gingerly shook his head. Sky stared at him in disbelief. He was giving in to Herobrine's bullying? No. How could he? But… he was.

"Very good," the god almost purred, his voice low, rich, velvety, dangerous. "And will you be joining us?"

Jason growled. "Never."

Herobrine nodded, his lips parting in a smile that exposed his fangs. "It amazes me how vehemently you humans oppose the idea of gaining incredible power. You're usually such an easily bribed race."

"You want us to destroy our world with that power," Sky hissed through his teeth. "There are innocent people up there. Our friends are up there. It'd be insane to join you."

The god paused. "What if I swore that your _friends_ wouldn't be harmed?"

"Then there would still be millions of other people that you kill."

"We do not intend to harm those who do not stand against us."

"Yeah. Right. And you totally didn't just zap Jason."

"His recalcitrance will slow our progress. It was necessary. And if I could promise you that no one would be harmed when I take over the Overworld, would you join me?"

"No!" Sky shouted. "I'll never join you!"

Herobrine shook his head. "I had honestly hoped for less than the average human idiocy from you. It appears I was mistaken, Adam. So you oppose my plan simply because it is _my_ plan. Where is the logic?"

"Don't call me Adam."

"Okay, _Adam_, but you failed to answer my question."

"You're lying. You're going to hurt people, and you're only doing this for your own good!"

The god's condescending smile was maddening. "I never said I wouldn't hurt anyone, but we are merely dealing in hypotheticals. You oppose me on the grounds that suffering will be caused by my rule, correct?"

Sky blinked. "Yes…"

"Aha! So, if I could prove to you that the general suffering in the world will _decrease_ by my takeover, you would be willing to join me?"

"I'll never join you!"

Herobrine groaned in frustration. "An illogical approach, but not more so than what I've come to expect from humans."

Seto snorted, obviously trying and failing to stifle laughter. Herobrine glared at him. "Sorry," the sorcerer squeaked, instantly falling silent. "I was just—

"You were laughing, yes, and interrupting our discussion," the god said coolly.

"It's just… the humans can be so stupid."

"You're a human, idiot!" Mitch shouted.

"Shut up!" Seto snarled, fire suddenly blazing up around his hands. "I'm nothing like _you_. I'm better. I'm stronger. And don't forget it!"

"Seto…" Aradyn said, stepping forward.

"No," Herobrine breathed, so quietly that Seto didn't seem to notice. "Let him." Aradyn froze obediently, though she looked nervously between the sorcerer, the god, and the human.

Mitch glared at Seto. "You're a freaking traitor, and for what? Power? You left your friends for _him_. For Herobrine! Now you're going to help him come to the Overworld and torture people. I don't care what you do to me. You aren't worth caring about, you idiotic power-crazed _freak_."

Seto practically yowled in outrage as the fire bloomed out of his hands, attacking Mitch. Unlike the flames that Herobrine had used on Jason, this fire was far more dangerous, actually burning Mitch, the skin crackling and hissing as the conflagration ate at it. The smell of burning flesh filled the air as the Canadian screamed, his cries mingling with the sorcerer's mad laughter.

"Seto!" Sky screamed. "Stop this!"

Seto turned his bloodshot gaze on Sky. "You're siding with him? After everything he's done to me?"

"You're killing him!"

"Yes. I am," he giggled. Then his eyes clouded. "But I want to kill him later. I need to hurt him first."

"That's a good idea!" Sky assured him desperately. Anything to keep Mitch alive.

Seto flicked his wrist and the flames died. Mitch gave a sob as he fell to the ground. Every inch of him that hadn't been charred was red, blistered from the heat. Sky flinched and looked away from his friend, who was trembling in pain, his mouth open in a silent scream of shock and agony.

"Yes," the sorcerer sighed sadly. "I guess I have to wait."

Just then, the building shook, chunks of stone falling from the ceiling. Several loud bangs followed. Herobrine looked up worriedly. "What—

The door whipped open, and someone thundered into the hall. It was one of the hybrid girls, her pink and scarlet wings streaming out behind her. "Holy shit!"

"Rosewing. What exactly is going on?"

"Well, Em turned into a very pissed off dragon and started chasing Ty around so he hid in one of the towers, and she kind of tore it apart and it fell and landed on top of her and yeah, that's what's going on. What should I do?"

"Holy shit indeed. Come with me. You too, Seto. It seems that we have a mess to clean up." With that, Herobrine caught Rose and Seto's arms and teleported them all away in a bang and puff of smoke, leaving Sky, Jason, Mitch and a very confused Aradyn alone in the prison.

"Did any of you understand a word she said?" Aradyn finally asked.

"Nope."

"Nope."

Mitch's only answer was a sob of pain, bringing them back to the dark reality of their circumstances.

They were in deep shit.

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><p><strong>Since, minus the shtuffs, this is the thirtieth chapter, it's extra long! Yay! I'm so special! I'm also going to be at a chess tournament all day, so do any of you have a favorite MC video that I should really check out in between the (hour and a half long) matches? No votes listed today, because I'm leaving in... very shortly. But y'all can vote!<strong>

**I have an important announcement: This story is going to end VERY soon. Like, maybe less than five chapters left.**

**I have another important announcement: I'll probably sequel this. Probably.  
><strong>** But I have so much stuff going on... National chess tournaments coming up! Practicing to record another demo song at the studio! A YouTube channel! Making a documentary! Writing other stories that have admittedly captured my flighty writer brain a little (or a lot) more than this one!**

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><p><strong>SOTC: "Pieces of Me" by Ashlee Simpson. I find this kind of captures Seto's identity at this point in the story. Although you have been warned... there is a mega plot twist coming up... HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHA!<strong>


	33. A Reason Pt: 1 (Ember)

Everything was fuzzy and gray. Groaning, Ember tried to raise her hands to rub her eyes, and then realized that it hurt too much.

"You're awake!" someone squealed in excitement. Ah. Wispice.

"Dude, you freaking ripped up one of the towers. That was badass!"

She wanted to tell them to be quiet, that their voices were too loud, that it was hurting, but she was too tired.

"You probably need soup," Wispice suggested.

"No!" she yelped, sitting up fast. Ow. "No, Wisp, my stomach… I don't think I could eat anything."

"Well, sometimes eating can actually make you feel better. Especially when you're healing."

Ember tried to sit up and found she couldn't. "What… what happened?"

"You took out the tower. It fell on you. It was really loud, and Herobrine heard it, so he came to investigate it, and found you and Ty. You were, like, passed out in his arms. Did he save you from the tower? 'Cause Rose saw it fall on you."

She had to think. "Yes," Ember finally mumbled. "He did. He saved my life."

"Wow, girl, you got a fan," Rose whistled.

"Oh my Herobrine, he likes you!" Wispice squealed.

She groaned. "Guys, it's not like that."

"Oops…" Wispice said, looking somewhat crestfallen.

"Eh, whatever, I still say he does."

Ember shook her head, then gasped, because it hurt _so much_. "Did Herobrine heal me yet?"

"He used a regen spell. You'll recover way faster."

She nodded, then cried out. Why couldn't she stop moving her head? It was stupid.

"Hey, soon you can come hang out with us! We'll watch a movie or something"

"Guys, I don't know…"

"It'll be awesome! We'll have brownies, dude!"

"And ice cream!"

"And some friggin' cake!"

_Precisely why I don't want to be there_. Ember didn't think she could handle all that hyperness. "I think I'm going to just go to sleep. Maybe when I wake up…"

"But…" Rose started.

"Okay," Wispice said sadly. "Come on, Rose, let's let her sleep." The small girl left, followed closely by Rose, whose gum burst with a loud _snap_ as the door closed.

Ember sighed. The throbbing in her head was slowly going away, though. Maybe the regen effect was kicking in. That would be nice. She was absolutely exhausted, and absolutely ready for the pain to be gone.

They'd hardly been gone more than a minute when the door opened again, revealing Ty. He was wearing new clothes, she realized, a pale green shirt with his typical dark jeans. The shirt had slits in the back that let his wings out, and they trailed across the ground like a cloak.

"Hey," she said. Hey. It was noncommittal, neither friendly nor hostile. It was just… _hey_.

"Hey, Em," Ty replied coolly, arching one eyebrow. "So… about this morning…"

"It's still today?"

"Yeah, you were only out for about four hours or something."

"Good." A thought occurred to her—had she thanked him yet? "Ty, I… I can't remember everything that happened, but I do know that you… you saved my life."

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "It was nothing."

"It was something to me. Thank you."

"You're welcome, I guess." Ty paused. "Em… I don't know if you remember, but… we called a truce, right?"

"To what war?"

"Between us. I mean, we should at least try, I guess. We're even now? Clean slates?"

She stared at him. Ember had been certain she'd dreamed that part, that there was no way he would have forgiven her. "Okay."

"From now on, none of that stuff matters. It doesn't matter that you've saved my life a few times. It doesn't matter that you betrayed me and brought me here. And… I'm sorry for some of the things I've said to you."

"I'm sorry for going Zariah on you."

Ty nodded, but glanced at her curiously. "Not for anything else?"

"Ty… you just don't understand that there's nothing else to apologize for. If I hadn't brought you here, then the plan wouldn't work. I did the right thing."

He sighed and sat beside her. "You really think that?"

She stared at him. "Of course."

"Em… Herobrine is evil."

"He is _not_!" she growled, suddenly fierce.

"He is. Ember, he is the freaking god of the Nether for a reason. This plan of yours will destroy the Overworld. It'll kill millions of people. And it'll put Herobrine in charge of the rest. He won't exactly be a kind ruler. Hell, when has he ever been kind?"

"He was kind to me. He saved my life. He raised me."

Ty raised an eyebrow. "Really? He probably caused whatever he 'saved' you from. And how exactly did he raise you? By sticking an insane dragon in your head when you were _six_."

"Shut up about things you don't understand." The raw anger in her voice surprised her, maybe even more than it did Ty.

"What do I not understand?" he asked, leaning forward so that his face was mere inches away from hers. For a split second, something flashed in his eyes, almost concern, but probably contempt. Ember turned away from him.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"How can I understand if you don't tell me?"

"Stop being logical."

"No one's ever accused me of _that_ before," Ty smirked. "But I thought we were allies now. You have to tell me."

"I do _not_," she hissed. "Now please shut up about this." This. Everything. All the memories that were flooding through her brain, cruelly haunting her with the ghost of the last day she'd seen her parents.

Instead of shutting up, he slid his hand under her back, careful not to jostle her wing, and rolled her towards him, forcing her to look up at him. Her breath caught in her chest for a wild moment, before Ty asked, "Why? Why should I shut up?"

"Because… look, just leave me alone." Ember suddenly felt incredibly out of her depth, here talking to him. There were butterflies in her stomach, and her heart was in her throat. She wanted this conversation to be over, and she'd made that clear to him. So why wasn't Ty gone yet?

"Not until you tell me what's going on."

"I'm going to sleep, is what's going on."

"No you aren't. I forbid it," he said, green eyes sparkling with the delight of tormenting her, or so it seemed at the moment. "I don't understand why you think that Herobrine saved you, and why it was an example of excellent foster parenting to shove you in with the mind of a crazed dragon. You're explaining that to me, is what's going on."

Any other day, Ember would have punched him in the nose and made her getaway. But she couldn't do that now. "Just go away." It was lame, and she knew it.

Ty blinked. "Really? That's your cutting, harsh comeback?"

"Look, Ty, if I wanted to talk about… _that_, I'd be talking about it." And she didn't want to talk about it. Because the night that Herobrine had saved her was the night that her family had died, the night that the humans had burned her mother, father, and brother into charred, blackened corpses.

He seemed to look past her, look somehow into the tangled confusion of thoughts in her brain and make enough sense of them to ask another question. "Em, is something wrong?" Ty asked softly.

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><p><strong>Heya dudes and dudettes! I felt like being nice today, so... double updating! A full AN will be in the next chapter!**

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><p><strong>SOTC: "Apologize" by OneRepublic. I think it's perfect, because even when Ty isn't trying to, he still hurts Ember's feeling and pisses her off.<strong> **_It's too late/ to 'pologize..._**


	34. A Reason Pt: 2 (Ember)

"Em, is something wrong?"

Ember didn't know what happened, all she knew was that one moment she was glaring at him and the next she'd sat up and fallen against him, crying against his chest. He froze for a split second, then wrapped her in his arms, hugging her to him. Every muscle in her body was screaming in protest, but she didn't care as she threw her arms around him, sobbing for reasons she didn't fully understand.

He rubbed her back in slow, soothing circles as his wings rustled awkwardly, his tail tip brushing her ankles. "I'll take this as a yes. Shh. It's okay. You can cry on me; I don't mind."

"Good," she snuffled, her words obstructed by his shirt. Ember still wasn't totally sure what she was crying about. But it didn't matter. It felt good to cry, to let everything out, to let herself break down, to just sit there while someone else held her together.

Ty's pine needle smell was so relaxing. It smelled like the woods that had been near her house. Her house, before the humans had destroyed it.

_"Mama! Papa!" the little girl screamed as she came running out of the school building, staring up at the fire that ate away at the small wooden house. Her house. "Where are you?"_

_"It's that freak!" someone shouted. "Catch her!"_

_"Seth! Mama! You need to get out of there!" the girl wailed. "Papa!"_

_A howl came up from the building. It was the anguished cry of a dying, trapped, suffering human, one who knows the futility of their struggles and is beginning to feel what is surely only the start of the incredible pain that they will face. It was matched by the horrified shriek of the small child, who was wise enough in the ways of the world to know that there wouldn't be a happy ending, that this was The End, and that there were no more chapters left in her mother's story._

_A tall human, his face marked with the starting stubble of a beard, gripped the girl by her wrists, yanking her to her feet. "I got her! Toss the freak in where she belongs!" His pale eyes flickered in the light, appearing almost white, soulless and devoid of all feeling except a brutish, primal need to visit his malevolent nature upon the unfortunate child in his clutches._

_The mob converged around them, grabbing the blue eyed girl, who was struggling and kicking in helpless terror, and approaching the bonfire that had been her house, preparing to throw her in._

_There was a sudden explosion, and the humans were sent flying, a storm of flesh raining as those positioned nearest its center were ripped to strands of falling entrails and chunks of nearly liquefied meat. A man, his black hair falling softly around his shoulders, his white eyes glinting ominously, stood at the point from which the blast had originated. "Come with me. There is nothing left for you here."_

Ember pressed tighter against Ty, her rock in this roiling sea of emotions and memories. She felt him nuzzle his nose into her hair, breathing her in. "It's okay, Ember," he promised. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

"N-no," she stuttered, the tears that she'd held in for ten years finally streaming down her face. Her mother. Her father. Her brother. Her entirely family had died. Now Ember was crying for them, and she couldn't stop as she buried her nose into his chest. Why now? Why Ty? She didn't know. All she knew was that it was the best thing she'd ever known, to let them go.

"Okay," he repeated, still holding her as she crawled into his lap, wanting nothing more than to stay there for a few hours. Ty was being exceptionally tolerant, Ember noticed somewhat distantly. It was something that she was immensely grateful for. "Just cry, Em. It's okay. Just cry." His left hand drifted to the edge of her face, and he began to stroke her hair, practically petting her, like most people would a cat.

"T-T-Ty…," she started to say.

"Shhhh," Ty whispered, his breath warm against her skin. "You're safe." Somehow that triggered a new wave of tears, and she shuddered, tightening her hold on him as he resumed the gentle caressing of her hair and face. "When you feel a bit better, you can tell me what's wrong. Okay?"

Ember didn't want to tell him, but she couldn't exactly say no. "O-k-kay," she stammered, taking a deep breath of his pine needle scent as tears streamed down her face in a salty, wet river.

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><p>She didn't know how long she'd been crying, and she didn't remember falling asleep, but she did know that when she opened her eyes, which were almost sealed shut by the salt, her head was resting on Ty's shoulder. "Hey, Em. Are you good now?"<p>

"I-I think s-so," Ember sniffed, finding his eyes.

The cool, level green pair met her bloodshot, swollen purple ones as Ty searched her face critically. "You should get some sleep. And then we'll talk." He lifted her up as though she weighed nothing and lay her back down on her bed, pulling the covers up until they touched her chin, almost burying her in blankets. It was unbelievably good to have someone taking care of her, even though she could have done it herself. His thumb stroked across her hand, and she watched the shadows from the curtains, whirling in the breeze from the open window, dance across his face as he focused on her fingers.

Ember let Ty hold her hand, trying to read his expression. "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing." He paused. "I should go, I guess."

"If you have to," Ember said, hoping for nonchalance but only succeeding in pleading. _Stay. Stay. Please stay._

"Do you _want_ me to stay?"

"It's your choice." _Yes. Please stay. Please, please, please don't leave me alone_.

"I know that, but do you want me to be here?"

She shrugged. _Yes. Yes, I do, and I wish you were still holding me, because I feel like I'm about to shatter into a million pieces and I think you might keep me together. The strange thing is, I don't know why._ But how could she tell him that?

"Alright. Well… bye, then." His hand lingered on hers for a few more moments, and then Ty slipped out of the room, his wings trailing across the carpeted floor. A bitter sense of disappointment filled her as he disappeared.

_**You should've said something if you'd wanted him to stay, idiot.**_

_I know. I wish I had…_

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><p><strong>I SAID I WOULD DOUBLE UPDATE! WHO DA MAN? WHO DA <em>MAN<em>?**

**Me. I'm the man. Yeah. #LittleMe.**

**So... life. I failed the tournament and only won one of my four games (I was the youngest player in the tournament, but still). Chess is hard. And what really drives me insane is that I could've won another, but I was practically dead at that point from lack of sleep (Thank you cats). So... more life. **

**This story is almost over... A few more chapters, probably three. Yeah. Two more full chapters, and then a drabbles collection at the end. I'm almost done writing them! **

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><p><strong>AN UPDATE ON VOTING: It's time for the final votes, then someone's going to die (maybe). Hahahahaha!<strong>

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><p><strong>SOTC: "Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence. I been binging on Evanescence... it's a thing.<strong>


	35. Secret (Ty)

Ty stepped into the hallway and almost tripped over Seto. "Hey, Ty," the sorcerer said, scrambling back to his feet after Ty accidentally knocked him over. "Is Em okay?"

He hesitated. "I think so." How was he supposed to react to Seto, who'd turned traitor and now served Herobrine?

"I heard crying. That isn't exactly usual for her."

"It was kind of… weird," Ty admitted. "Ember always seems so tough."

"Oh, she is," Seto said seriously. "Don't ever think she isn't. But from what I've pieced together, from H-Herobrine"—he gulped—"and just watching her, she's had a pretty rough life."

"She told me her parents died."

The sorcerer's chocolaty brown eyes widened. "Really? Herobrine told me that, but he said that Ember never talks about it. I can't believe she told you. Especially you."

"Why?" Ty asked, somewhat naively.

"Because from what she's told me, you've been kind of a bitch to her."

"She said that?"

"No, I did."

"Well, thanks a lot, jerk." Seto smiled thinly at Ty, who glared back at him. There was a pause. "Seto…"

"Yeah? What?"

"Why did you… why… why did you join Herobrine?"

Seto's eyes clouded and he looked away. "Shut up, right now."

"No," Ty said coolly.

"Yes."

"No."

"Is this what you do to Ember?"

"Yes."

"I see why you drive her crazy."

"Yeah. So why did you join Herobrine?"

"I told you to shut up."

"No," he grinned, enjoying Seto's helplessness to stop him.

"YES!" Seto roared, grabbing Ty by the shoulders and pinning him against the wall. "Just shut up, shut up, _shut up_, will you? Can't you see I don't want to think about it? Can't you see it hurts? Because it does! It hurts so freaking much when I even think about what Herobrine doe—did—to me!"

Ty hissed at the confinement, his tail lashing and thumping against the wall as Seto increased the pressure on his shoulders. "Let go of me." His head was throbbing painfully, every beat of his heart sending a surge of blood through the veins that felt far too small.

The sorcerer shook his head. "Not until you promise to never mention this again."

Ty didn't know what happened, all he knew was the result. And the result was Seto being suddenly smashed into the wall opposite and Ty's hands being clenched around his neck. **"You don't hold back a dragon. It isn't wise."**

Seto choked, clawing at Ty's hands, and he released him, stepping away from the sorcerer's body with an air of contempt as he lay on the ground, massaging his throat.

**"Do you understand us?"** Ty asked coldly, his voice sounding almost double, with an eerie echoing effect that made his words sound like a threatening chorus of barely controlled rage.

"Y-yes," Seto whispered.

The throbbing vanished, and Ty gasped. _Eguire!_

**_Sorry. But I don't like… I don't like confinement._**

_Neither do I_, Ty realized. He'd been able to handle it before. But now, as he thought of cages, of chains and weights and boxes and pressure, he cringed.

"Are you okay?" he asked Seto.

The sorcerer pulled away as Ty crouched beside him. "Leave me alone."

"Seto…," Ty started apologetically.

"I said _leave me alone_." He yanked at his collar, trying to get it back into place, and calling Ty's attention to the red marks that covered his neck, only just hidden beneath his shirt. What…?

"Did I hurt you?"

"No. I'm fine." Seto stood up, leaning against the wall for support.

"Those marks…" They'd looked horribly painful, almost like blisters or burns.

The sorcerer stared at him, looking somewhat panicked. "You… saw?"

"Seto, what's going on?"

"Nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing. It's nothing," Seto blathered. "Absolutely nothing."

"Come on, idiot, you think I'm going to believe that? I hurt you or something. Did I burn you? How did I burn you?"

"No, Ty, you didn't burn me." He noted the seemingly unintentional emphasis on 'you.'

"But…"

"Please stop, Ty, it's really nothing, and I don't want to talk about it."

"Seto…"

"No! Just… no, Ty, no, I don't want to talk about this."

"Tell me!"

"Shut up, or I swear I will electrify you until all that's left is the powdered dust of your remains."

Ty shut up.

Seto sighed, pressing his forehead against the wall. "Thank you. And Ty, there's something… I need to warn you… well… I'm not supposed to, but… maybe I should… I shouldn't, but… ugh."

"Am I allowed to talk again?"

"Yes, but not about… _that_."

Ty nodded. He'd talk to Seto about the marks on his neck later, preferably when the sorcerer wanted nothing more than to fall asleep and would be unable to resist. "Okay. So what should you not warn me about?"

"Well… Rose and Wisp and Aradyn and maybe Ember… they're going to… oh, never mind."

"What?" he asked, suddenly alarmed.

"I shouldn't tell you!" Seto groaned. "But… damn it, I suck at keeping secrets." He took a deep breath, then turned towards Ty. "Don't freak out."

Ty had barely enough time to draw a breath before Seto had grabbed his arm and dragged him into a small room. It wasn't even a room, really, it was a tiny closet. The door slammed shut behind them, sealing them in with pure shadows and some old towels.

The confinement and dark made Ty's breath come fast and shallow. "Let me out. I can't find the door handle."

"No, wait," Seto hissed. "I had to bring you in hear so that no one notices. I'd be in big trouble if they knew I'd warned you."

"Warned me about what?"

"About…" Seto took a gulp of the stale, musty air, and didn't get to finish his sentence, because at that moment, the door was yanked open.

The two brunettes tumbled into a pile in the hall, at the feet of Rosewing. "Well, this is awkward. I'm not even going to ask. Whatever. Ty, we need you to get downstairs. And Seto, are you coming tonight?"

"I—" Seto clambered off of Ty, who rolled to his feet and glared at the sorcerer.

"Unfortunately, Seto will not be able to join you for what will prove to be an interesting experience," Herobrine said silkily, appearing suddenly behind Rose. "He and I need to discuss certain issues tonight, as I'm sure he knows."

Seto's face turned a sick shade of white, which Ty barely noticed as he stared at Herobrine. "Umm… yes. Issues. Yeah."

"Good. Tyler, I suggest you head to the kitchen and wait for further instructions."

"My name is Ty," he growled at Herobrine.

Herobrine, the reason that he had been forced to share headspace with a dragon.

Herobrine, the person who had tortured Jason.

Herobrine, the monster who planned to take over the world.

Herobrine, the schemer that had orchestrated the plot that led to Sky and Mitch and Jason and Ty being captured.

Herobrine, the being he hated more than almost anything else.

"Very well, Ty. We'll see how much attitude you have left after your… initiation." What was that? It sounded distinctly not good, and the god's politely condescending demeanor did nothing to ease his concern. "Seto, if you will come with me…" The sorcerer followed Herobrine to the end of the hall like a prisoner in chains, his arms drooping, feet dragging, head hanging, leaving Ty alone with Rose as the two teleported away.

Ty stared at her suspiciously. There was something up, something bad, something scary, but he didn't know what it was yet. He needed to know. What were they going to do? What had Seto tried to warn him about? He needed to get out of here.

"So, we've got something really awesome planned tonight," Rose started. Shit. Suddenly Ty was running away, far away, trying to be anywhere but where he was at that moment.

He didn't get far before Rose tackled him, catching his arms and pinning him to the ground. She grinned, and her eyes glowed red. "Don't worry, Ty, you'll be fine. Maybe." Then Ty was falling, falling, falling, until the blackness all around him consumed his vision and he went unconscious.

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><p><strong>Mmkay, guys, this is the second-to-last chapter-chapter, and then there will be an AN chapter with the link to the sequel, New Dawn. Get ready for some of the biggest drama yet in what will probably be the conclusion to this series! Wahoo! We got torture! We got romances! Fluff! Feels! More backstory! More mystery! And many twists and turns! Y'ALL READY FOR DIS?**

**On a side note, I'm #Stoked about this awesome song from Jason Stokes (TrueMU), called S.U.P. (Shut Up Please)! My parents are #LessThanStoked because I've been blaring it loudly for... IDK how long. And raving. I can't stop raving about it. They want me to, "Shut Up, Please!" Y'all should check it out! It's almost as cool as me!**

**No. It's cooler than me. By a lot.**

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><p><strong>SOTC: <strong> **"S.U.P." I'm just feeling it tonight, okay?**


	36. Chapter the Last (Everybody)

**{*SKY*SKY*SKY*SKY*SKY*}**

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><p>Sky paced back and forth around his cell, casting worried glances at Mitch, who hadn't moved in nearly five hours. The burns were… disgusting, all red and charred. He looked like he'd just stepped out of a horror flick. Except this wasn't a horror movie.<p>

This was life.

"Jason?" Sky asked.

Jason looked up. "Huh?"

"Do you think… is Mitch… will Mitch be okay?"

"I hope so. I really, really hope so."

"Yeah. I mean, even though he's an idiot, he's our idiot."

Jason didn't have time to respond, because a distraction appeared in the form of a small green dragon. Not a girl with wings, but an actual tiny dragon. Her wings, or at least Sky assumed it was a female, were folded tightly around her pastel green body, and her head was covered in delicate crests, perched on the end of a long, slender neck. The dragon's tail lashed from side to side, a wickedly sharp barb on the end taking thin chunks of stone out of the wall wherever it collided.

Sky barely noticed this, because he was more focused on what the dragon had in its mouth. Food. She had food in a basket that she was clutching in her jaws.

"Wispice! Please!" Jason moaned, throwing himself against the bars. Wispice?

**"Ggmmph mph amm mmpphh,"** complained the dragon around the basket of food. She shrank into the slightly smaller form of a young, slim girl, holding the food in her hands. The bundle of her cargo was almost as big as her now. "In case you didn't understand, I said give me a minute." Her wide, friendly eyes settled on Sky for the first time. "Oh! Hi, Sky! I'm Wispice and Mint, but you can call me Wisp. I hope we can be friends, even if we are enemies by unfortunate circumstance now." Wisp beamed at him.

"Umm… okay."

"Yay!" she squealed. "I brought you guys food, and—oh my Herobrine, is Mitch okay?" She was staring, terror suffusing every detail of her face, at Mitch's broken, bleeding, burnt-to-a-crisp body.

"No, Wisp, he's not okay. Can you take care of him?" Jason asked, sounding slightly hopeful.

"Oh, poop. I can't, Jason, I'm really sorry. See, we're initiating Ty tonight, and that takes a while."

"What?" Sky and Jason said together.

"What do you mean, initiating him?" Sky asked.

"Well, I can't tell you everything. But we have this ritual that he has to go through."

"And if he fails?"

"He dies." Wisp shrugged. "So who wants cookies?"

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><p><strong>|EMBER|EMBER|EMBER|EMBER|EMBER|<strong>

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><p>"Ember, it's time to go! Rose knocked out Ty already, so we need to start early!" Aradyn shouted.<p>

Oh. Shit. Ember clawed her way out of her bed. The stiffness had diminished somewhat, along with the worst of the pain, but she was still sore. Her wings trailed limply along the ground as she stumbled down the staircase.

Ty was sprawled on the floor, his face frozen in an expression of pure panic. That was an effect of Rose's ability to send people into unconsciousness: they literally fainted out of fear. His green wings were stretched out beneath him like huge emerald leaves, and his headphones were resting lightly on his lolling head.

Ember crouched beside his apparently lifeless body, unable to fight away the irrational fear that crept upon her. She brushed her fingers against his neck, feeling his strong, steady heartbeat under her hand. Good. He was alive.

He stirred slightly at her touch, his wings rustling and his eyes fluttering, the long black eyelashes tangling together. "We should get him to the chamber as soon as possible," Aradyn reminded Ember. "Before he wakes up. Otherwise this could get messy."

"Yep. Em, can you teleport us?" Rose added.

"I think so." A sudden flicker of doubt gnawed its way to the forefront of her mind as she stared down at Ty's sleeping, helpless form. "What if he doesn't make it?"

**_Then he is weak and deserves the death that comes to him._**

She knew that. If Ty failed, then he would be unworthy to serve Herobrine, and he would face the consequences, as was only right.

**_I can't wait to watch this_****, **Zariah thought happily.

* * *

><p><strong>[+TY+TY+TY+TY+TY+]<strong>

* * *

><p>Ty opened his eyes. What had…?<p>

Rose had attacked him.

He'd been knocked unconscious.

And now he was lying on the freezing floor of a dark room.

As he moved to sit up, he noticed four pairs of eyes staring at him. A green pair, bright in the murkiness. That was Wispice. A red pair, eerily illuminating the shadows. Rosewing. An icy blue pair, glittering sapphires in the darkness. Those belonged to Aradyn. And a purple pair, softly lighting the gloom around them like the dying coals of a fire. Ember.

The hybrid girls were standing in a semicircle, a pedestal with a cloth over it and a small… _something_ next to Ember, who watched him dispassionately like a cat debating whether or not the mouse she has cornered is worth sparing long enough to play with. Rose looked like this was the most exciting that had ever happened to her, whatever 'this' was. Aradyn's blue eyes were sympathetic. Wispice seemed to not know what to think, and her slight bouncing, up and down on her toes, somewhat reduced the stern demeanor of the group.

But only somewhat.

Clawing his way to his feet, Ty realized that there were bars surrounding him, thick iron ones that were woven in an intricate latticework. He was in a cage, and the realization made his heart pound harder and faster than ever before. "Guys… w-what… let me out!" he choked, terrified. He couldn't handle the restraints. He needed to fly, to run, to escape the dark enclosure.

"No can do," Rose smirked. "I don't think he's going to pass. Look how panicked he is already. I bet you housecleaning duty he doesn't make it ten minutes, Aradyn."

"Don't be a downer. You can do it, Ty!" Wisp cheered.

"D-do what?" he stammered. "E-Em-b-ber?" _Get me out of here_, he wanted to scream. _Anyone, get me out of this cage._

"This is your test. Whatever you do now is up to you," Ember said formally, coldly. If hadn't known, he'd never have ever guessed that she'd been crying in his arms only a few hours ago. She whipped a cloth off of the small object that sat on the plinth next to her.

"What is that?" Ty gasped, staring at the black, slightly glowing stone.

* * *

><p><strong>Here is the last chapter! I ended on a cliffhanger! Because I'm awesome! Y'all can just sit here, suffering in terror for my beautiful characters lives! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Or... I could possibly post the first chapter or two of my next story. I have them typed up... SHOULD I DO THAT?<strong>

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><p><strong>SOTC: 'I Hate This Part' by the Pussycat Dolls.<strong>


	37. Farewell!

**Hey dudes! I just wanted to take the opportunity at the end of this book to say a huge thanks to all you of you. Midnight is the longest thing that I've ever written, and probably the best thing, too. I couldn't have found the energy to push through and keep writing if I hadn't had people who were supporting me and making it feel worthwhile. So... thank you SO MUCH!**

**It's kind of incredible for someone who's spent their entire life not noticed to be able to write, and share that writing, and find that people enjoy it. I mean, I've always wanted to work in an entertainment type field, but everyone tells me that no one would watch me or listen to me or read what I write. This is a dream come true, and I feel like now I'll have the courage to chase the life I want to have even harder. Thanks again, and you literally cannot imagine how amazing this is to me.**

* * *

><p><strong>Here is the Midnight playlist, and I hope you guys enjoy!<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Monster, by Imagine Dragons<br>**TTYLXOX, by Bella Thorne/Zendaya**  
>Sick of You, by Selena Gomez<br>**Sorry, by Madonna**  
>The Monster, by EminemRihanna  
><strong>Overprotected, by Britney Spears**  
>The Sweet Escape, by Gwen StefaniAkon  
><strong>Another One Bites The Dust, by Queen**  
>Moments, by Tove Lo<br>**Firetruck, by Smosh**  
>Take Me Away, by Avril Lavigne<br>**Out Alive, by Ke$ha**  
>Wide Awake, by Katy Perry<br>**Waking Up in Vegas, by Katy Perry, and Happy, by Pharrell Williams**  
>Put Your Hearts Up, by Ariana Grande<br>**Breakeven, by the Script**  
>Best Mistake, by Ariana Grande<br>**Glory and Gore, by Lorde**  
>Bad Blood, by Taylor Swift<br>**23, by Mike WiLL Made-it/Wiz Khalifa/Juicy J/Miley Cyrus **  
>Oath, by Cher LloydBecky G  
><strong>Secrets, by Mary Lambert**  
>Wings, by Little Mix<br>**Everytime, by Britney Spears**  
>On My Own, by Miley Cyrus<br>**Problem, by Natalia Kills**  
>The Only Exception, by Paramore<br>**Pieces Of Me, by Ashlee Simpson**  
>Apologize, by Onerepublic<br>**Bring Me To Life, by Evanescence**  
>S.U.P. by Jason Stokes<br>**I Hate This Part, by the Pussycat Dolls

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><p><strong>New Dawn is up, and linked through my profile; FanFiction gets rid of in-story links, or I would have linked it here and probably linked the playlist too. Stay awesome, and remember to check out some of those songs (They're all really good, but some are explicit)! Bye for now!<strong>


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